COVID-19: Updated regulations from May

27. April 2021
Dear university members,
 
As announced, in the past few days we have evaluated and discussed the currently valid Covid regulations together with the works councils and Hufak. Together, we are very pleased that university operations have started so smoothly in the summer semester of 2021 and that the incidence of infection at Angewandte has remained very low compared to the overall population.
 
For this, first and foremost, a big thank you goes to you, all employees and students. Only through the broad support of the regulations within the university is it possible for us to pursue this path. The success of the last two months allows us to further soften the regulations in some areas.
 
 
As of Mon, May 3, 2021, the following changes will come into effect:
 
University access is also possible on weekends and holidays 
University buildings will also be open on weekends and holidays, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, to all university employees with a valid negative Covid test confirmation. On weekends and holidays, controls are increased at the central university entrances in addition to the controls by the HealthChecker. At this time, there is no separate inspection required by departments.  On weekdays, controls will continue to be decentralized to departments, courses, and by HealthCheckers. 
 
Angewandte Teststraße remains open until the end of the summer semester
The opening hours of the Angewandte Teststraße in the former Postal Savings Bank remain unchanged: Mon-Thu 8am-12pm as well as 2pm-6pm, Fri 8am-12pm; last testing 15 min before closing time each day. Beyond the opening hours, especially on weekends, we kindly ask you to use the testing resources of the City of Vienna, such as:
 
  • PCR test campaign "Alles gurgelt"; tests are available after prior registration in all Viennese REWE stores (Bipa, Billa, etc.): https://allesgurgelt.at/.              PCR tests are the most accurate method as they have a higher predictive power than antigen tests. With your participation in "Alles gurgelt" you thus contribute to even more safety at Angewandte.
  • Other testing facilities such as pharmacies (e.g.: Urania Apotheke), test streets (e.g.: in Wien Mitte The Mall 2nd floor), etc.
 
Scientific teaching in small groups on site possible
Scientific teaching in small (seminar) groups can take place on site from May onwards after prior agreement between participating teachers and students as well as approval. 
 
Lecturers please contact the room coordination at raumkoordination@uni-ak.ac.at with all relevant information (course number, purpose, date, number of persons, etc.) to clarify the availability of a suitable room. If a room is available, the Room Coordination will obtain approval from the Vice Rectorate for Academic Affairs and Development and then confirm the room reservation as usual. Reservation requests for a specific room cannot be accepted.
 
All other regulations remain unchanged until further notice and can be viewed here
 
 
All hygiene and safety regulations continue to apply
It is important for us to emphasize that each opening step is only possible due to the combination of several measures to reduce the risk of infection at Angewandte. 
 
These include: 
 
  • Access to university buildings only with negative test confirmation (antigen not older than 48h, PCR not older than 72h).
  • Continuous FFP2 mask obligation in all buildings and rooms of the applied (except sole stay in a room)
  • Pay attention to distance
  • Regular ventilation and also keeping the window sills free for morning ventilation as part of maintenance cleaning
  • If symptoms of illness occur, stay home and contact the 1450 health hotline
  • Reporting suspected or confirmed covid disease cases to the Covid Staff Office (covid@uni-ak.ac.at, +43 664 88345033) to allow for additional contact tracing steps within the Applied.
 
Individual measures alone do not ensure comprehensive protection against infection. Even in combination of several measures, a residual risk remains – as in all other places in our society where people meet (e.g. public transport, supermarkets, etc.).
In this context, we would like to raise your awareness once again that while antigen tests remain an effective means of detecting viruses, PCR tests can detect an infection much earlier and more accurately. We therefore recommend that you make greater use of the wide range of PCR tests offered by the City of Vienna (campaign "Alles gurgelt, see above). 
 
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Covid staff office: covid@uni-ak.ac.at, +43 664 88345033.
 
With sincere thanks for your support, we wish you a continued successful summer semester!
Gerald Bast, Bernhard Kernegger, Barbara Putz-Plecko, Eva Maria Stadler and Maria Zettler
 
 
Rektorat
Rektorate