In the joint document, the higher education institutions, the BA Sachsen, and the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism set out four measures to demonstrate their awareness of their social responsibility. They want to help “significantly weaken the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic and break the waves of infection,” the document says. At the same time, however, the aim is to “promote the education and further qualification of those who will help shape the future of science, business, society and culture in Saxony.”
To this end, the parties have agreed on key principles that will apply to teaching until 21 January 2022. Saxony’s higher education institutions and the BA Sachsen will expand their digital teaching. Where they are responsible, they will pay even stricter attention to compliance with rules involving “3G”, social distancing and mandatory masks. Compulsory testing is to be extended by broadening the “3G” access rule so that people who have recovered and been vaccinated also have to present a test. The higher education institutions are also tightening their own rules on hygiene and infection control.
The University’s crisis management team had already reacted positively to the draft of this joint document on Wednesday. The revised Hygiene and Infectious Disease Concept, which is based on the current emergency coronavirus legislation in Saxony (SächsCoronaNotVO), has been in force since 1 December. In addition, it has been agreed that teaching should take place online as far as possible in the two regular weeks between 13 December 2021 and 9 January 2022. Explaining the decision, Professor Thomas Hofsäss, Vice-Rector for Education and International Affairs, said: “We hope that this will contribute to reducing infection levels.” Facilities that support research and teaching, such as the libraries and the computer pools, will remain open to staff and students. During the two weeks of online teaching, compulsory testing will be expanded for these in-person activities, with people who have recovered from coronavirus and those who are vaccinated now also required to take a test (in addition to unvaccinated people). “We will therefore be extending the opening hours at our three testing points from three to five hours, so that testing is available to all lecturers and students,” said Hofsäss. “We will be monitoring compliance with the protective measures even more strongly during this period to make everyone feel safe while learning and teaching.”
In consultation with their students, lecturers have been able to offer courses digitally since 22 November 2021. “So far, we have shown that Leipzig University is able to operate with few restrictions, with an overall vaccination rate of around 90 per cent among our 30,000 or so students, also thanks to the great efforts of our teaching and administrative staff,” said the Vice-Rector of the winter semester so far.