COVID-19: Current information for the start of the semester

Date 2021-08-31

Dear Students,

the academic year 2021/22 will start soon.

We have set ourselves the goal of conducting our studies as normally as possible - with a correspondingly high proportion of face-to-face events as provided in the curriculum.

We are pleased to summarize the necessary information and regulations for this purpose.

Access requirement "3G"
  • "3G" as an admission requirement has become accepted in many areas of life. As this has proven to be effective also at MCI for several months now, it will be continued.
  • All MCI premises may therefore only be entered with a 3G digital ID ("green passport") and a valid photo ID. This includes all groups of people (students, lecturers, staff...).
  • Please note that this will be checked consistently. Checks will be carried out for example at building entrances, in seminar rooms, in laboratories, etc.
  • Persons who are not able to present the digital 3G certificate will not be allowed to enter the building or will have to leave immediately. IMPORTANT: Wearing a mouth/nose protection or FFP-2 mask does not waive the 3G rule.
  • Please note that missing or fraudulently presented 3G certificates (forgery, use of someone else's 3G certificate...) may result in consequences under study law.
  • Wearing mouth/nose protection is currently not mandatory. However, it is strongly recommended to wear mouth/nose protection especially when distance rules cannot be met (e.g. in case of dense seminar room occupancy).
  • Furthermore, according to current serious discussions about tightening access rules for certain areas from 3G (vaccinated, tested, recovered) to 2G or 1G (vaccinated),we are monitoring these developments closely and will adjust our regulations if necessary.
Vaccination
  • In agreement with the federal government, the Austrian universities have set themselves the goal of offering the coming academic year at the highest possible level of normality.
  • One of the prerequisites for this is to achieve the highest possible vaccination coverage rate, which - in addition to reducing the probability of infection and transmission - contributes to a massive reduction in the risk of disease and death in the event of illness.
  • Accordingly, MCI strongly endorses the recommendations of the relevant health authorities and the joint call for vaccination issued by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research and the relevant university organizations (see attachment - unfortunately only available in German). 
  • In addition to the now very accessible vaccination services offered by general practitioners and public vaccination centers with a free choice of dates and vaccines (tirolimpft.at), there will also be opportunities for Corona vaccination at MCI at the beginning of the winter semester (dates and further details to follow).
  • The vaccination coverage rate required for "herd immunity" is significantly higher than originally anticipated due to the more contagious delta variant. This is why we must strive for the highest possible vaccination coverage rate also at MCI, in order to preserve the health of the individuals present and their families, to ensure the performance of our university, to counter potential liability claims, to protect vulnerable individuals in the community and to avoid further lockdowns.
  • It can be assumed that in the course of the next few months everyone will be exposed to the coronavirus - unvaccinated persons with much more serious consequences!
  • We therefore urge all students who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible in order to protect their own health and safety and also out of solidarity with all MCI members (with the exception, of course, of those who are not allowed to be vaccinated for medical reasons).
Monitoring and disinfection of indoor air
  • Over the coming weeks, lecture halls and seminar rooms will be equipped with CO2 sensors to monitor indoor air quality in a best possible way. The sensors are equipped with a display that prompts to ventilate the room when limit values are exceeded. Regular ventilation dilutes potential aerosols in the room with fresh air and reduces possible risks of infection.
  • In addition, lecture halls, seminar rooms and heavily frequented areas, are equipped to the greatest possible extent with filtering devices to clean/disinfect the air in the room. This should additionally minimize the risk of coming into contact with viruses or germs.

 

Dear students, the coming weeks will be a great challenge for all of us. It is therefore even more important that we all pull together to reduce the risk of infection to a minimum. Please help to make this a success. Thank you for your support!

Best regards from MCI

Andreas Altmann, Rector
Franz Pegger, Head of the Academic Council
Manfred Forstinger, Chairman of the University Representation

Attachment

pdfImpfaufruf (only available in German)