Coronavirus: Current Information (as of 3 March 2020)

As a general reminder, this and other information can be found in the recommendations and assessments of the Robert Koch Institute, public health ministries and the World Health Organization (WHO). It is important to stay informed of the situation, but we also stress that there is no reason for panic.

In early December 2019, numerous patients began exhibiting a respiratory illness caused by a new type of coronavirus in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, China. This virus has since spread to other countries over the following months. According to the current risk assessment of the Robert Koch Institute, the following regions should be considered high-risk areas:

China: Hubei province (including Wuhan), as well as the cities Wenzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Taizhou in Zhejiang province.

Iran: Ghom province.

Italy: Regions Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and the city of Vò, Padua province,

Veneto region.

South Korea: Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang) province.

(https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebi…)

County health services responsible for Rhine-Waal University in Kleve (Kleve Campus) and Wesel (Kamp-Lintfort Campus) request that all persons who have visited these high-risk areas in the past 14 days to contact them by telephone:

For Kleve county: 02821-85-311, Mondays to Fridays, from 8:00 a.m. to 11 a.m. (More information in German: https://www.kreis-kleve.de/de/fachbereich5/coronavirus/)

For Wesel county / Kamp-Lintfort: 02821-207-0. (More information in German: https://www.kreis-wesel.de/de/dienstleistungen/infektionskrankheiten-me…)

At the same time, the University of Applied Sciences strongly recommend that you practice these simple hygiene precautions, which can help prevent the spread of viruses to yourself and others:

• Regularly and thoroughly wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds
• Avoid touching your eyes, ears, nose and mouth
• Sneeze and cough into your elbow, never your hands
• Avoid shaking hands
• Keep a distance of approx. 1 m from others
• If you are feeling ill, do not leave your home and avoid contact with others, including family and flatmates. Avoid eating with others in your household and keep to separate rooms as much as possible. Ventilate rooms thoroughly and often by fully opening your windows for a period of time.

Students, staff and guests of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences who have been in high-risk areas within the past 14 days or have been in contact with persons suffering from flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) are strongly advised to contact their local doctor. Please call your doctor’s office first to notify them of your symptoms and schedule an appointment. All persons travelling to Germany from a high-risk area are strongly advised to avoid contact with others as much as possible during the 14-day incubation period of coronavirus.

At the moment, students, staff, partners and guests of Rhine-Waal University are not subject to any special restrictions or precautions when travelling to Germany. Should this change, we will notify you immediately.

• All staff members who have recently been in a high-risk area or otherwise believe to have serious, but reasonable grounds for having been exposed to coronavirus already, may where possible telecommute to the office with the agreement of their head supervisor (Fachvorgesetze/r); other arrangements will also be considered. The Executive Board has instituted this flexible policy to protect and safeguard employee health and trusts that it will be used responsibly. For questions related to employment regulations, please contact the department of Human Ressources.
• With regard to mandatory lectures, seminars or labs beginning soon, students should notify their instructors; with regard to examinations scheduled soon, they should notify the Chair of their Examination Board. Alternative arrangements / appointments can be scheduled on a case-by-case basis. For related questions or concerns, please contact Examination Services.

Whether there will be any future restrictions to the ERASMUS Programme, residency permits, BAföG applications etc. is difficult to say at the moment. Nevertheless, the Executive Board is in close contact with public health services, responsible government ministries and other universities as well. We will inform you immediately of any policy changes.

We ask that all students and staff regularly check for new information on our homepage here: www.hochschule-rhein-waal.de/en/news/news-releases/coronavirus-aktuelle…

The Executive Board is confident that if we work together in shared responsibility, exercise the necessary caution, and approach this situation seriously, but also rationally, that things will gradually improve and eventually return to normal in the foreseeable future.

Apart from this the Executive Board of the The Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences recommends to all members of the university that they closely follow the current information, travel and safety advice and monitor the situation.

• The Federal Foreign Office provides travel and safety advice (German only).
• The Federal Ministry of Health provides information (in German only).
• The Robert Koch Institute provides current information (in German only) and a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs).
• The Federal Centre for Health Education provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the novel Coronavirus.
• Current information about the coronavirus can be found on the site of the Kreis Kleve (you can find it here) and in the current press release. (in German only)

You can find recommendations for action in the download area.