Hygiene guidance
Background image: Colourbox.de, Illustrations: FAU/Bärbel Rhades
In accordance with the resolution of the Bavarian state government of 28 July 2020, universities have been granted permission to resume face-to-face operations again in winter semester 2020/2021. To provide guidance for studying, research and work, the twelve member universities of Universität Bayern e.V. have revised the hygiene guidelines of 12 May 2020 into the Common guidance for universities resuming face-to-face operations during the coronavirus pandemic. FAU adopted this guidance on 30 September 2020.
The measures described below are intended to protect university members by breaking the chain of infection, to preserve the health of students and staff during examinations and practical courses and to contribute to the containment of the pandemic.
A minimum distance of 1.5m must be maintained to other individuals, wherever this is possible. Wherever the minimum distance cannot be maintained, for example in communal areas and access routes in university buildings, a face mask that covers the mouth and nose must be worn.
If the minimum distance cannot be maintained through organisational measures, alternative protective measures should be provided such as transparent hygiene screens for areas open to the public such as information and loan desks as well as, wherever possible, for workspaces that do not allow the minimum distance to be maintained.
Individuals may only be present on campus for the time that is strictly necessary
- Download poster ‘You must wear a mask here’: in German / in English
All individuals are requested to wash their hands regularly and observe coughing and sneezing etiquette (into the elbow) to reduce the risk of infection. Further information can be provided by Occupational Safety.
The university will ensure that there is sufficient opportunity for washing hands depending on local conditions and the expected number of people (more information on the rules in place at FAU available under the heading ‘Disinfectant’). In sanitary areas and laboratories, cleaning material and disposable hand towels will be provided in sufficient quantities.
Tools and work equipment must only be used by one person exclusively wherever possible. Where this is not possible, regular cleaning is required, particularly before handing tools and work equipment to other persons. Otherwise, suitable protective clothing such as gloves must be worn.
The university must ensure that rooms and work equipment are cleaned regularly, at least once per day. This applies in particular to working areas for examinations and face-to-face sessions, which are used in short succession by several participants. The hygiene and safety plan for all face-to-face sessions must include details of the type of cleaning and cleaning intervals.
All universities are responsible for setting out a ventilation plan that is suited to the physical location. How often a room should be ventilated is determined by the size and the usage of the room to ensure effective ventilation. Information on the type and duration of ventilation can be found in the currently valid SARS-CoV-2 occupational safety standards of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
All available options for ventilating rooms must be used. If air conditioning is used, measures must be undertaken to reduce the risk of spreading infection, for example by reducing the amount of recirculated air and installing or frequently exchanging filters. If a room is ventilated by opening the windows, open all of the windows to allow stale air to flow out and fresh air to flow in. Ventilation systems must be operated with the highest setting of external air possible. The number of breaks should be increased to ensure that rooms can be ventilated properly. Large rooms should be allocated if the planned activity is likely to produce more aerosols (this applies especially to rehearsal rooms).
Individuals may not enter the university premises if they
- have been in contact with a person who has a confirmed case of Covid-19 in the last fourteen days
- show symptoms that could indicate a Covid-19 infection, including all respiratory problems irrespective of severity, unspecific general symptoms and a loss of taste or smell.
- are required to quarantine at home for 14 days in accordance with the currently valid Immigration Quarantine Regulations (EQV) (https://www.gesetze-bayern.de/Content/Document/BayEQV/true).
In the case of no. 2 and no. 3, these restrictions will not apply to persons who can show the university an official medical certificate in German or English confirming that there is no evidence of an infection with coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The medical certificate must be based on a molecular biological test for detecting infection with coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which has been carried out in a member state of the European Union or in another state that the RKI has included in a list of states with a sufficient quality standard for this purpose, and which has been carried out no more than 48 hours before presentation to the university. Please note that an antibody test is not sufficient.
People with a higher risk of developing severe illness (at-risk groups according to the Robert Koch Institute) are recommended to take sufficient measures to protect themselves. This may include wearing respiratory protection at the required protection level. The university must, wherever possible, offer appropriate advice to staff through the occupational medical service. Teaching staff who belong to an at-risk group may offer classes entirely online provided that the learning outcomes of the class can still be met. This also applies to individuals who have been granted exemption from the requirement to wear a face mask for health reasons.
All members of the university including all professors, research associates, public servants, employees and students are responsible for ensuring that the hygiene guidance is complied with in their area of responsibility. This applies in particular to managers, committee leaders, examiners and teaching staff. This also includes the responsibility to inform the relevant persons (e.g. participants in examinations and face-to-face sessions) in an appropriate manner about regulations on infection prevention applicable within their own area. The university must monitor compliance with infection prevention regulations through inspections held at random.
Lecturers have the responsibility for ensuring that the minimum distance and hygiene guidance is complied with in rooms used for teaching, that face masks are worn where necessary, and that contact tracing measures are used. They may deny access to the room if any of these requirements are not complied with.
Detailed procedures for the implementation of this guidance shall be set out by the university management. The university management may, at their own discretion, adopt stricter regulations.
The FAU crisis team has discussed the pros and cons of using disinfectant in great detail over the course of several meetings, consulting with scientific experts and involving the FAU medical officer Prof. Dr. Klaus Schmid in discussions.
At the end of the day, we have decided not to supply or use disinfectant dispensers on FAU premises. The reasons are as follows:
Routes of transmission
According to our medical experts, the most important route of transmission is droplet infection, during which coronavirus pathogens are shed by infected people in droplets which are expelled when coughing and sneezing (and to a lesser extent also when speaking), remain suspended in the air, and are then breathed in by someone else.
This explains why it is so important that a distance of 1.5m is kept between individuals at all times. A face covering ought to be worn whenever it is not possible to keep this distance apart.
The novel coronavirus cannot enter the body through the skin on your hands. The virus can only lead to an infection if it comes into contact with mucous membranes in the mouth, nose or eyes.
Hand hygiene
According to our experts, consistent hand hygiene (washing regularly using soap and water, in particular before eating, drinking and smoking; avoiding touching your face) is sufficient outside the hospital.
A sufficient number of handwashing facilities are available in all FAU buildings. Hand disinfection is therefore only necessary in instances when you are unable to wash your hands with soap and water, for example before eating (if you are working away from home or outside the office, for example)
Cleaning
G5 is monitoring the situation closely and ensuring that highly frequented sanitary facilities, terminals and public workspaces (in particular examination rooms) are cleaned well and regularly, and that soap and hand towels are available in toilet facilities at all times. Common cleaning products containing detergents are sufficient for cleaning purposes.
If you have any reason to complain, please send an e-mail to
- zuv-g5-reinigung@fau.de(during usual working hours)
- leitwarte@fau.de(outside of working hours).
Printable templates for notices and posters on hygiene regulations are available in the appendix to the practical guidelines published by Occupational Safety (accessible from the FAU network or via VPN).
A maximum of 200 persons may be permitted to attend a face-to-face session. Participants must be seated or organised in a manner that ensures the minimum distance of 1.5m is maintained.
A face mask that covers the mouth and nose must be worn on university grounds, in communal areas and access routes in university buildings and when entering and leaving rooms.
A face mask must be worn at all times during face-to-face sessions, by students and lecturers alike, even once you are seated, and even if you are still able to keep a distance of 1.5 metres.
The university must be notified of any face-to-face sessions that are to be held outside of the university premises (e.g. excursions). Further details are governed by the Executive Board.
For face-to-face musical, artistic and cultural events and practice sessions, the relevant infection prevention regulations and the hygiene guidance for cultural events and practice sessions apply. General regulations for face-to-face teaching also apply to artistic and musical classes. Room allocation will be prioritised according to the research, teaching and administrative requirements of the university.
In accordance with the resolution of the Bavarian state government of 28 July 2020, contact details must be recorded for all participants in face-to-face classes to allow contact tracing if an infection is reported.
- The social distancing rules that are still valid mean that face-to-face teaching can only take place in certain rooms at FAU. A list of approved rooms is available from Occupational Safety.
- FAU is using an IT system called ‘darfichrein.de’ for recording contact details of those using these rooms, which is a web application that is already being used in hotels, restaurants and other public spaces with great success. The provider, Darfichrein GmbH, is a joint subsidiary of the Institute for Local Authority Data Processing in Bavaria (Anstalt für Kommunale Datenverarbeitung in Bayern (AKDB)) and the Bavarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA Bayern).
- The ‘darfichrein.de’ platform enables simple and contactless recording of contact details via smartphones where users simply scan a QR code and enter their details in the form that opens in the browser on their phone. Occupational Safety has placed more than 4,500 QR codes on the seats available for use in all the rooms on the approved list. Only these seats may be used to ensure that the university complies with social distancing rules.
- The contact details entered by users are encrypted, stored in AKDB’s data centre and automatically deleted after the end of the storage period. A check-in ticket is created when the user has completed all the fields in the form, entered a PIN and clicked on ‘check in’. The check-in ticket confirms that the check-in procedure has been completed successfully.
Darfichrein.de is being used at FAU solely for the purpose of complying with the legal requirement of collecting contact information and serves only to trace the chain of infection for confirmed cases by health authorities (Gesundheitsamt). The system fulfils all data protection and infection control requirements. FAU will discontinue the use of the application as soon as recording contact details is no longer legally required.
If you have any questions about darfichrein.de please contact Occupational Safety (zuv-sgas-covid-nachverfolgung@fau.de.
Download
The bilingual poster explaining the web application darfichrein.de can be hung at the entrance (to the building or room).
More information
The university also recommends using the Corona-Warn-App provided by the RKI while on university premises.
The system for recording contact details will replace the notification procedure for examinations used in the summer semester. Notification is no longer required for on-campus examinations scheduled as planned for winter semester 2020/2021. On-campus examinations in October that were originally scheduled for summer semester 2020 still require notification.
darfichrein.de an der FAU
The session coordinator is responsible for providing individuals who wish to record their contact details manually with a contact tracing form.
Anyone attending a face-to-face session who cannot or does not want to scan a QR code will be given a form to enter their contact details manually. They must enter the following data: last name, first name, telephone number (alternatively complete address or e-mail address), location, room (if applicable seat or table number) and when they attended (date and time).
All forms must be kept in a sealed envelope. After the session, the envelope will be marked with the date, time, place and room number of the relevant session.
The envelope will be stored by the session coordinator for four weeks after the session and the data will then be destroyed in accordance with data protection regulations. If a session coordinator is not available, envelopes containing contact forms can be handed to the room coordinator.
If contact tracing is required, Occupational Safety will contact the session coordinator to request analogue contact data. Analogue contact data may be made available at the request of and in consultation with the health authorities.
Public access that is not required for face-to-face operations at the university (research, teaching and administrative operations) must be reduced as far as possible. If possible, public access should be replaced by telephone, postal or electronic communication (for example e-mail). This applies in particular to consultation hours, enrolment, applications and the submission of work and forms.
Services offered by the university that require contact in person should take organisational measures to avoid unnecessary social contact. Appointments must be scheduled in such a way that there are no waiting times or gatherings of people in waiting areas.
Work on university premises must be organised in such a way that multiple occupancy of rooms is avoided (for example by using all available rooms) and the minimum distance is maintained or alternative protective measures are taken.
The university offers support in cases of hardship that may occur for example in organising childcare and will endeavour to find a solution in individual cases.
The university libraries and archives may continue operations, provided that the minimum distance, hygiene guidance and requirements for recording contact details are observed, insofar as continued operation is permitted by the infection prevention regulations.
Infection prevention regulations governing public spaces also apply to public spaces on the university grounds.
Infection prevention regulations governing events, gatherings and demonstrations apply to the public spaces and buildings on the university grounds. Room allocation will be prioritised according to the research, teaching and administrative operations of the university.
Infection prevention regulations governing religious worship and meetings of religious communities also apply to religious institutions on the university grounds.
For sports, infection prevention regulations and the hygiene guidance for sports apply. The general regulations for face-to-face teaching also apply to practical sports classes. The allocation of sports rooms and facilities will be prioritised according to the research, teaching and administrative operations of the university.
Restaurants and catering services offered by the university must comply with the infection prevention regulations and the hygiene guidance for restaurant and catering services. Room allocation will be prioritised according to the research, teaching and administrative operations of the university.
Conferences, congresses and similar events should be held online where possible. If face-to-face sessions are justified for scientific, business or operational reasons, they may be permitted providing infection prevention regulations are met.
The organiser must obtain authorisation from the university and submit a hygiene and safety plan and a plan for recording contact details to the university, which must also be presented to the local authorities if requested. Further details are governed by the Executive Board.
Room allocation will be prioritised according to the research, teaching and administrative operations of the university.
Infection prevention regulations for cultural sites also apply to cultural sites operated by universities and cultural sites in university grounds. Room allocation will be prioritised according to the research, teaching and administrative operations of the university.
(Update 30 September 2020)
Further information on implementing the hygiene guidance
Practical classes
This applies in particular to laboratory courses, sports courses, fine arts courses (theatre, music, art education), field work and field trips. Conducting practical classes and research activities in special laboratory or work rooms including workshops at FAU must follow the practical guidelines that you will find on the Occupational Safety website (accessible from the FAU network and by VPN).
If you would like to hold a practical class, please complete the form included in the practical guidelines from the Occupational Safety website which must also be signed by the individual responsible and send it via e-mail to your Occupational Safety representative. Your representative will contact you should they require further details.
Examinations
Occupational Safety have prepared practical guidelines for carrying out on-campus examinations. You can find these guidelines on the Occupational Safety website (accessible from the FAU network and via VPN). In the appendix to the practical guidelines, you can find detailed information on topics such as basic standards, operational procedures, and recommendations on when and how to wear masks.
The system for recording contact details will replace the notification procedure for examinations used in the summer semester. Notification is no longer required for on-campus examinations scheduled as planned for winter semester 2020/2021. On-campus examinations in October which were originally scheduled for summer semester 2020 still require notification . Please refer to the detailed information provided by the Examinations Offices.
- Information from the Bavarian Ministry of Health
- Information from the Federal Centre for Health Education
- Information from the Robert Koch Institute
Contact
FAU Occupational Medical Service – BÄD
www.baed.fau.de
Phone: +49 9131 8523666
Occupational Safety
Occupational Safety website (Accessible only from the FAU network. Information on VPN access from home is provided by the RRZE
Phone: +49 9131 8526778
(Image: FAU/Celina Henning)
Face mask with FAU logo
Face masks with the FAU logo are available from the restaurants at Langemarckplatz, Erlangen Southern Campus and Regensburger Straße in Nuremberg. They cost 5 euros.