Until now, it was only possible to dine on site at those refectories and cafés that have an outdoor seating area. Takeaway food and drinks were also available. After careful consideration of the new regulations, the current infection rates and the conditions at each facility, it has now been decided that as of Monday, 21 June, the dining halls in the majority of the refectories and cafés will also reopen for diners. The Studentenwerk Leipzig is currently trying to strike a balance between infection control, its duty to offer its services, and economic efficiency in the operation of its refectories and cafés, explained Dr Andrea Diekhof, Managing Director of the Studentenwerk Leipzig: “We are pleased to be able to take these further steps towards opening up, not least because this will enable us to better fulfil our duties to our customers. To be honest, however, it is also important to note that in recent months, as a result of the university building closures and the shift to online teaching in higher education, we have only seen a fraction of the usual demand, even in the refectories and cafés that are open. In that respect, we hope that the new relaxations will also bolster our sales figures.” In all of the facilities that are open, the current infection control precautions apply. Diners are not required to have been tested, but they must observe social distancing requirements and leave their contact details. “Particularly in large-scale catering, we rely on the assistance of our guests for infection control. So we expressly ask all users of our refectories and cafés to carefully observe the social distancing rules and to provide their contact details,” added Diekhof.
The following establishments will open their dining halls from Monday, 21 June:
- Mensa & Cafeteria am Medizincampus
- Mensa am Elsterbecken
- Mensa Peterssteinweg
- Mensaria am Botanischen Garten
- Cafeteria am Park
- Cafeteria Dittrichring
- Cafeteria im Musikviertel
The dining hall at the Mensa Schönauer Straße will also open from 1 July. For the time being, there are no plans to open the Mensa am Park, the Mensa an den Tierkliniken or the Mensa Academica.