Dear students and colleagues,
On 18 March 2022, the German Bundestag has resolved a revised version of the laws governing prevention of infection. However, before the new regulations take effect, there will be a transitional period, during which the federal states can uphold previous protective measures to a large extent. The state of Lower Saxony will make use of this legal option. For this reason, previous regulations regarding face mask requirements, providing proof of vaccination, recovery and testing as well as distancing requirements will be maintained in Lower Saxony until 2 April.
Provided that the regulations resolved by the federal and state government take effect on 3 April, I would like to provide some information on the further course of action at Leibniz University Hannover (LUH). First of all: We will maintain the 3G rule for accessing university buildings, testing requirements before examinations as well as FFP2 mask requirements.
However, from April, there will be no university-wide checks at entrances to buildings. Furthermore, all entrances to buildings will be opened again. From April, LUH access wristbands will no longer be issued. Henceforth, compliance with the 3G rule at entrances will be checked randomly (proof of vaccination, recovery or official and valid proof of testing, ideally provided digitally via the Corona-Warn-App or the CovPass app – members of staff may still present their employee ID card). Members of teaching staff too are entitled to check compliance in lectures/courses. Compliance among members of staff will also be checked randomly, as before via their supervisors. Failure to comply with the 3G rule is still considered as trespassing and will be prosecuted, if necessary. Anyone failing to comply may be banned from entering LUH buildings.
Testing requirements for sitting on-campus examinations continue to apply until the end of the examination phase on 8 April. Irrespective of the G status, a valid and negative rapid test result (“Bürgertest”) must be provided.
Likewise, FFP2 masks must still be worn in all traffic areas, even if a minimum distance of 1.5 m can be maintained. Irrespective of distancing, FFP2 masks must still be worn during all lectures/courses, as well as during on-campus examinations.
The 3G rule also applies for events of a public nature, university body meetings and work-related meetings (including meetings with external guests), as well as for job interviews. Compliance must be ensured by the respective organiser. If the 2G plus status has been confirmed, face masks must no longer be worn, even if the minimum distance cannot be maintained.
Working from home will no longer be mandatory; the new agreement on working from home and telecommuting will take effect on 1 April. All members of staff have already received information on this, provided by the Staff Council, and have been invited to information events at the end of March.
I hope that this answers your most pressing questions concerning regulations at LUH from April. Further details on these issues will be available on our FAQ website from early April. As mentioned above, rules at LUH continue to depend on the regulations issued by the federal and state government and might therefore be modified at short notice.
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Volker Epping
President of Leibniz University Hannover
