Latest announcements to employees

Dear students and staff,

The night before last, the Danish Parliament reached a reopening agreement by a broad majority. The agreement lifts or eases many of the restrictions we have been living with for many months.

What this means for the universities has not yet been clarified completely, but we can confirm that:

Exams will be held as planned as a general rule, as exams are already underway. (In other words, there will be no changes to your exams as a consequence of this announcement.)

From Monday 14 June, the following guidelines will apply on all of AU’s campuses:

• Face coverings will no longer be required.
• The 1-2 metre social distancing guideline will no longer apply.
• As previously announced, 50 per cent of staff may return work on campus from Monday 14 June. Staff members should make arrangements with their manager/PhD supervisor.
• The current rule that everyone who comes to campus must able to present documentation of a negative Covid-19 test/a valid Covid passport will remain in place until 1 August.

Professional and social events may be held in person. Check the guidelines here. In the event that these guidelines change, the website will be updated.


It has already been announced that additional restrictions will be lifted from 1 August:

• It will no longer be necessary to present documentation of a negative test result/a valid Covid-19 passport.
• Universities will no longer be required to offer testing on campus.
• All personnel will be able to work on campus again. (Note that it will still be up to local managers and their staff to make agreements regarding remote work.)

And remember: Although we find ourselves in the fortunate situation that rules and restrictions are being lifted and eased, we must all continue to take precautions to prevent the spread of infection. If there are local outbreaks, restrictions will be reimposed. So please:
 

• Keep up the good hand hygiene – use the hand sanitiser dispensers on campus, and wash your hands.
• Air out the rooms you spend time in.
• Stay at home if you feel sick.

Without a doubt, there will be questions this announcement does not address. We will update our coronavirus site as additional clarification becomes available.

We encourage everyone to continue the constructive, respectful dialogue with your fellow students and staff – and to show consideration for those who choose to continue wearing a face covering or wish to maintain social distancing.

Kind regards,
The senior management team

Dear students and staff,

As of Friday 21 May, all students will again be welcome back on campus, and more staff will be able to come back to work at the university. This good news is part of the the government’s most recent reopening agreement.

For you as a student, this means that you will have access to the university’s study spaces, group rooms and other student facilities regardless of year group and degree programme. This also applies to PhD students.

Check your local study portal for more information about any special guidelines that might apply to your programme.

For you as a staff member, the reopening agreement means that there will be a gradual relaxation of the restrictions on on-site work over the coming weeks.

As of Friday 21 May, 20 per cent of the university’s employees will be able to come to work on site. This percentage is in addition to the employees who are already working on campus in connection with research, teaching and critical functions. The percentage is set to increase to 50 per cent as of 14 June, and as of 1 August, all of the university’s employees will be able to work on site.

The possibility of on-site working also applies to meetings and academic/professional events.

Your immediate supervisor is responsible for ensuring compliance with the new quotas for on on-site work. Which staff members will need to work on-site and when will be decided through local agreements between managers and their employees.

With regard to social events, the public health authorities are in the process of updating their recommendations. AU’s coronavirus website will be updated as soon as we have been informed of the new guidelines for the universities.

We have complete confidence that you – both staff and students – will continue to adhere to the guidelines to prevent the spread of infection when working and studying on campus. If you are unsure about the rules, consult the guidelines for behaviour at the university. And remember that you are free to use AU’s supervised self-testing sites for students and staff.  

We’re delighted that we’ll see more life on campus again starting on Friday. 

Best regards, 

The senior management team

Dear students and staff,

On 22 March, a majority of parties in Parliament reached a political agreement to gradually ease lockdown restrictions in Denmark. As a consequence, we now have options that were not available to us at the time of our announcement of 22 March regarding Covid-19 restrictions at the university. Classes will not exclusively be offered online for the remainder of the semester, as we announced at that time.

Students and employees will be able to return to campus to some extent. Below, we outline an overall plan for who will be able to participate in on-campus activities and on what conditions.

If you are a student, you will be getting information about your access to campus from your faculty’s studies administration office, the study portal and Blackboard. If you are an employee, you should contact your immediate supervisor if you have any questions about the possibility of working on campus.

We are now in the process of putting the puzzle pieces in place to determine how to make the best use of the options available to us under the government’s reopening plan. Around the university, staff are working full throttle to make it possible to reopen campus under safe conditions and in full compliance with the Covid-19 guidelines for institutions of higher education. 

In accordance with the government’s timeline, we will begin this phase of the reopening on 6 April; restrictions will be eased gradually and to the extent that it is practicable to do so. And as the framework agreement (in Danish) makes clear, this phase of the reopening will be quite limited. We have been authorised to allow up to 20 per cent of the university’s students to participate in classes and exam activities on a daily basis, and have been directed to give first priority to first-year students in relation to in-person classes. We have also been authorised to give an additional 10 per cent of the student body access to reading rooms, study spaces and group rooms on a daily basis. In addition to these groups, students in their final year of Master’s degree programmes which include a practical dimension that is essential to their completion of the programme will also be given access to campus.

There are challenges associated with easing Covid-19 restrictions that we will have to take into account. According to the public health guidelines, both students and employees must be able to present a negative Covid-19 test (PCR or rapid test) taken no more than 72 hours previously in order to participate in on-campus activities. In this regard, testing capacity may be a limiting factor, as there will be considerable demands on public testing capacity in connection with the more general reopening of society. For this reason, intensive preparations are being made to ready the university to offer students and staff a supplementary testing setup with supervised self-tests as early as possible in April. 

For many students, in-person participation is simply crucial to their motivation and well-being. This is why – despite these challenges – we are doing everything in our power to make it possible for more students to learn and study on campus.

Giving students access to reading rooms, group rooms and other student facilities is high on our list of priorities, so that we can take the first tentative steps towards reviving student life on campus. The individual faculties are currently working on a model for how this can function in practice.

After we announced that all classes would be taught online for the remainder of the spring semester, many students and lecturers have made their desire to resume in-person classes very clear. On this background, we have made a close examination of the new – though still quite limited – possibilities, in dialogue with student representatives and lecturers. In-person classroom activities will be organised by the individual faculties, and there will be a particular emphasis on making it possible for first-year students to participate in in-person classes within the given framework. 

As we mentioned above, students will be informed about any changes in their classes as well as the possibility of coming to campus by their local studies administration office, the study portals and Blackboard.

Responsibility for ensuring that the faculties comply with the quotas for in-person student attendance will fall to the leadership teams of the individual faculties. The faculty leadership teams will also be responsible for prioritising teaching and exam activities, with the involvement of the boards of studies. 

A significant proportion of employees will still be required to work from home – at least until 6 May.

By agreement with their immediate supervisor, the following categories of employees may come to work on campus from 6 April:

• Lecturers and other employees who perform functions that are a prerequisite for carrying out activities with student participation on campus.
• Researchers, including PhD students, who need to have physical access to the university in connection with their research.
• Employees who perform functions critical to the operation of labs, clinics and research infrastructure that require their presence on campus.

We have a strong focus on ensuring that all activities on campus take place in a responsible manner and in compliance with the public health authorities’ infection prevention guidelines. We are under an obligation to carry out random checks of test results among participants in on-campus activities; this means that everyone who comes to campus must be able to present a negative Covid-19 test. From 6 April, updated guidelines for behaviour on campus will be available on the AU coronavirus website, and the guidelines will be posted in the university’s buildings.

We are pleased that more of you will be able to come to campus in April. The faculties are working hard to put all of the many puzzle pieces in place to make this possible. We ask for your patience in the meantime.

We wish you all a good Easter holiday and a happy spring!

Sincerely,  

The senior management team

Dear students and staff,

Yesterday on 22 March, the government presented a long-term plan for the reopening of the country. We are delighted that the universities are included in the first phase of the reopening plan, which will come into effect on 6 April.

As described in the government's framework agreement for the reopening of Denmark (in Danish only), more detailed guidelines for the reopening of the universities will be discussed in the so-called sectoral partnership for higher education, in which government authorities, educational institutions, student organisations and employee organisations are represented.

Once these general guidelines have been finalised, we will consider the possibilities they afford, and we will announce how they will be implemented here at Aarhus University.
 

Kind regards,

Arnold Boon
University Director

Dear students and staff,

As the government announced on 9 March, the universities are unfortunately still not covered by the government's plans to reopen society. We’re very hopeful that there is light at the end of the tunnel, but there is a lot of uncertainty about the months ahead and we don’t know exactly when we’ll be allowed to reopen campus and under what conditions.

Predictability is extremely important for us, in the interests of academic quality and for both students and staff to be able to plan and prepare. Therefore, we’ve decided on a framework for teaching and exams at Aarhus University up to the summer, and what activities will be prioritised in the event of a possible reopening. 

Teaching to continue online 

• Teaching will continue online for the rest of this semester to secure as much stability as possible. This is also our starting point for any reopening.
• As is the current situation, some courses will continue to be held physically, for example in connection with clinical, laboratory and workshop teaching.
• If there is any reopening, the study environment and academic collaboration between students will have top priority. If possible, study spaces and study groups on campus will be opened, and there will be access to the university's innovation hubs. Similarly, the student associations will be able to hold certain academic/social events. 
  
  

Exam schedules after Easter

• Exams in the 2021 spring semester will generally be held online.
• Practical exams in laboratories, clinics and workshops, as well as exams with no aids will be held on campus if possible under the government's reopening plans.
• A few other exams will also be planned for physical attendance, if there are very specific academic reasons for doing so. The exams in question will be determined on the basis of local discussions in the boards of studies, and will be decided by the faculties.
• The updated exam schedules will be available immediately after Easter. Students can follow the situation on their local study portals.
• If an exam scheduled with physical attendance cannot be taken on campus as a result of the lockdown, as far as possible students will be notified of the new situation no later than 30 days before the exam date.

We’ll do all we can to meet our responsibilities and establish a framework for a safe reopening of the university, with physical attendance in full accordance with the authorities’ guidelines on preventing infection. In the near future, it’s likely we’ll have to consider new guidelines on further reopening, including possible requirements for tests, and we will keep you informed as openings arise for more physical attendance.

For the moment, we will have to continue to study and work from home and stay positive during the spring months. 

Best regards,
Brian, Berit, Arnold, Johnny, Lars Bo, Thomas, Kristian, Eskild and Lone
Senior management team

Dear students and staff,

Unfortunately, the government’s announcement of 24 February did not loosen the Covid-19 restrictions on the country’s universities. As a consequence, Aarhus University’s campuses will remain closed at least through 5 April 2020. In brief:

• Classes will be conducted online. As before, in-person activities will only be allowed in exceptional cases, such as clinical, laboratory and workshop-based instruction.
• All employees must continue to work from home, with the exception of employees who perform essential functions. Employees may only participate in in-person activities by agreement with their manager/supervisor.
• The university’s buildings will remain locked, and the libraries are closed. However, it is possible to return and collect materials for use in connection with research and teaching activities. More information is available on the AU Library website .

Fortunately, we will get past this: we will be able to meet in person on campus again on the other side of the pandemic. We’re all really looking forward to that day. As announced previously, we will announce the guidelines that will apply to the university’s activities after the Eastesr break by mid-March at the latest. 

You will find up-to-date information about current guidelines on  AU’s coronavirus website. We also encourage all students to check your study portal for the latest information.

We wish you all a good weekend.

Sincerely,

University Director Arnold Boon on behalf of the senior management team

Dear students and staff,

The government has extended the current Covid-19 restrictions. This means that Aarhus University’s locations will remain closed through 28 February, and that the public health guidelines announced on 15 January will remain in force. In brief:

• Classes, exams and activities in connection with the commencement of the new semester will take place online. In-person activities will only be allowed in exceptional cases, such as clinical, laboratory and workshop-based instruction.

• All employees must continue to work from home, with the exception of employees who perform essential functions. Employees may only participate in in-person activities by agreement with their manager/supervisor.

• The university’s buildings will remain locked, and the libraries are closed. However, it is possible to return and collect materials for use in connection with research and teaching activities. Practical information is available on the AU Library website.

You can read more about the details on AU’s Covid-19 website. The information on the site will be updated regularly.
We also encourage all students to check your study portal for the latest information.

We wish you all a good weekend.

Yours sincerely, University Director Arnold Boon
On behalf of the Senior Management Team

Dear staff,


The government extended the current public health restrictions earlier this week, which was hardly surprising. As a consequence, Aarhus University’s campuses will remain closed through 7 February 2020.

Online classes until the end of March
As a general rule, classes at Aarhus University will be taught online until the end of March. This decision was made in order to provide you with the greatest possible degree of consistency and predictability. We hope that being able to plan courses within a longer timeframe will give teaching staff the best possible conditions for offering high-quality online classes.

In-person classes only in exceptional cases
The Ministry of Higher Education and Science has made it clear that exceptions to the online-only policy may only be made in isolated, exceptional cases, such as in connection with clinical, lab and workshop-based instruction. Any exceptions to the online-only policy will be made by agreement with your immediate supervisor.

No further changes to exam schedules
All winter exams have already been converted to online formats, with few exceptions. This means that scheduled exams will not be affected by the extension of the restrictions.

We will continue working from home – at least through 7 February
All employees must continue to work from home, with the exception of employees who perform essential functions. No one may access locations on campus without prior agreement with their manager.

The situation continues to make considerable demands on our patience and energy. But you are doing a fantastic job under extremely challenging conditions. We are very grateful for your commitment! We understand that preparing to teach your classes online is a big adjustment. Many of you also have kids at home whose schooling is taking place online, which is an additional source of pressure.

We are planning to announce how we will tackle the situation at the university after the Easter holiday by mid-March at the latest, unless the situation changes significantly before then. Naturally, we will be monitoring the situation closely.

We hope you all have a great weekend, and we hope to be able to see you on campus again soon.

Yours sincerely,

Brian, Berit, Arnold, Johnny, Thomas, Lars Bo, Kristian, Eskild and Lone

The senior management team

Dear students and employees

Yesterday evening, the government made yet another announcement about the stricter national public health guidelines currently in place. These restrictions have been extended and will remain in force through 17 January 2021.

This means that all of the guidelines for students and employees of Aarhus University that we announced just before Christmas will also remain in force through 17 January. 

• Exams and teaching are online. There may be a few exceptions, for example in connection with exams and teaching activities in labs, clinics and workshops, as well as in cases where digital exams are not practicable.
• All employees must continue to work from home, with the exception of employees who perform essential functions. No one may access locations on AU’s campuses without prior agreement with their manager/supervisor.
• The university’s buildings will remain locked, and the libraries are closed. However, it is possible to return and collect materials for use in connection with research and teaching activities. More information is available on the AU Library website .

When these stricter restrictions are lifted, a variety of other restrictions will still remain in force through 28 February 2021. These restrictions apply to the entire country and include a mask/face shield mandate as well as recommendations to work from home and cancel social events wherever possible. Read more in the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s announcement

We continue to strictly adhere to the authorities’ public health recommendations. Until it becomes possible to relax these restrictions, we must remain patient, both in relation to the situation and each other. The first weeks of the year will be particularly challenging for students and employees with younger children who have been sent home from school. We must all show consideration for their situation, and we must all continue to do our part to help bring the infection rate down in Denmark.

In light of recent developments in the rate of infection, it’s not surprising that 2021 will begin in the same way that 2020 is ending. Fortunately, we can expect that the infection rate will begin to fall as spring approaches, and as progress is made in vaccinating the population: there is plenty to be optimistic about here on the threshold to 2021. So here’s hoping for brighter days! We wish you all a safe and happy New Year.


Kind regards,

Brian, Berit, Arnold, Johnny, Thomas, Lars Bo, Kristian, Eskild and Lone

The senior management team

Dear students and staff,

Earlier today the government announced that the tighter Covid-19 restrictions announced earlier this week will now be imposed on an additional 31 municipalities. 

This means that AU’s Herning campus will also be shut down, as well as AU’s locations in Foulum, Silkeborg and Kalø. The new restrictions come into effect on Friday 11 December at 16:00/4 pm, and will apply at least through 3 January 2021, as is the case for the other affected 38 municipalities.

A mail was sent out Thursday 8 December explaining what the new restrictions mean for staff and students in the affected municipalities. The same will apply in Herning, Foulum, Silkeborg and Kalø starting tomorrow.

• Mail to students of 8 December
• Mail to staff of 8 December

AU’s coronavirus website is being updated on a regular basis.

Once again, the Covid-19 situation is making heavy demands on our patience. We sincerely hope that the government’s current measures will make it possible for all of us to celebrate Christmas safely, with the least possible risk of infection.

Kind regards,

Brian, Berit, Arnold, Johnny, Thomas, Lars Bo, Kristian, Eskild and Lone

The senior management team

Dear employees,

You are probably already aware that the government has just announced extremely restrictive new public health measures. These measures will have a major effect on the lives of many of you and the lives of our students. 

The new restrictions will affect Aarhus University’s locations in Aarhus, Emdrup, Roskilde and Flakkebjerg. At these locations, the following new restrictions will apply from Wednesday 9 December 2020 through Sunday 3 January:

• The following Aarhus University locations will be closed: Emdrup, Roskilde, Flakkebjerg and Aarhus.

• All teaching activities will take place online. However, there may be teaching activities which cannot be converted to online formats, for example teaching activities in labs, clinics and workshops.

• As a rule, all exams must take place online. To reduce confusion and uncertainty on the part of students, this will apply for the entirety of the current exam period. However, there may be exceptional cases in which in-person exams are necessary, for example for clinical courses, lab courses and other courses with a practical dimension. There may also be cases in which it is not practicable to offer exams online, for example because of time constraints or out of consideration for the quality of the specific exam. Decisions regarding what is practicable will be taken at the local level, and such decisions will be approved by the relevant dean’s office.

• All employees must work from home, with the exception of employees who perform essential functions. Essential functions are defined as functions necessary to the operation of labs, clinics, research infrastructure and so on. With regard to research, there may be research projects which require the physical presence of essential employees to prevent the loss of critical research data. No one may access the affected locations without prior agreement with their manager/supervisor.
  
  Please note with regard to essential functions: If you are an essential employee, you may continue to come to work even if you live in one of the 38 affected municipalities and work in a municipality to which the new restrictions do not apply.
  
  

• All buildings will be locked. Only employees with keycards will have access.
  Students will be able to access AU buildings with their student ID cards through Thursday 10 December so that they can pick up any equipment and belongings they might need.

• Libraries will be closed to the public. However, it will still be possible to turn in and borrow materials for use in connection with research and teaching. More information will be posted on the AU Library website as soon as possible.

In addition to the new measures that will apply to the 38 municipalities from 9 December through 3 January, the government has also decided to extend the current national restrictions until 28 February. This means that the following guidelines still apply at all AU locations:

• everyone must wear a face mask or a visor.
• no one should come to work if they have symptoms.
• no social events are permitted for the time being.
• everyone must work from home wherever possible and feasible. Please note that employees in the 38 affected municipalities must work from home through 3 January, with very few exceptions (see above).

Over the next few days, we will update the information on the university’s coronavirus website.

You have already made an enormous effort to combat the virus at the university, and it would have been nice to start the holiday season in a more uplifting way. But the rate of infection in our society is increasing, and it goes without saying that we will adhere to the public health authorities’ guidelines. It’s already been a long, tough haul, and we must once again ask for your understanding and patience in connection with this shutdown.

We sincerely hope that through our joint efforts, we can make this a safe and secure holiday season for all.

Kind regards,

Brian, Berit, Arnold, Johnny, Thomas, Lars Bo, Kristian, Eskild and Lone

Dear employees,

Effective on Monday 7 December, the government has introduced new restrictions in seventeen municipalities in the Copenhagen metropolitan area: Albertslund, Ballerup, Brøndby, Dragør, Frederiksberg, Gentofte, Gladsaxe, Glostrup, Herlev, Hvidovre, Høje-Taastrup, Ishøj, København, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Rødovre, Tårnby and Vallensbæk.

These restrictions will remain in place at least through 2 January 2021, and will primarily affect students and employees with activities on the Emdrup campus and in Roskilde.

With these new restrictions, the government has sent a signal that the amount of in-person activity taking place in connection with higher education in these municipalities must be reduced, while still allowing flexibility in relation to teaching and exams. The government also strongly encourages employees to work remotely if at all possible. Public sector workplaces (which includes the universities) are also encouraged to postpone activities requiring physical attendance to after the New Year wherever possible.

What do the restrictions mean for teaching and exams?

• As far as possible, Aarhus University will continue with planned in-person teaching and exam activities in Emdrup in December. All activities are organised so as to comply with the healthcare authorities’ guidelines.

• All teaching and exams in Aarhus and Herning will take place as planned.

• Employees may travel between the different parts of the country to perform teaching and exam activities where necessary.

How will the restrictions affect working conditions?

• If you are an employee residing in one of the seventeen municipalities and you work at one of AU’s locations in the Copenhagen metropolitan area or Roskilde, you must work remotely if you can.

• As a general rule, travel between the Copenhagen metropolitan area and AU’s locations in the rest of the country should be kept to an absolute minimum. Talk to your immediate supervisor if you are in doubt as to whether you should cancel/postpone an activity or conduct it online.

We would like to take this opportunity to encourage all employees to be even more conscientious about adhering to the Covid-19 public health guidelines. The infection rate is rising. We all need to make a special effort to stick to our good public health habits. Please: maintain social distancing, sanitise your hands, remember your face mask and stay home if you have symptoms. Even though this isn’t easy, it’s what has to happen if we are to continue to have teaching and exams in person. So let’s take good care of each other and do our part to beat this virus.

Kind regards,

Brian, Berit, Arnold, Johnny, Lars Bo, Eskild, Kristian, Thomas and Lone

Dear staff,

On Thursday 5 November, the government introduced tough new restrictions in seven municipalities in northern Jutland that will remain in force at least through 3 December. For the majority of employees at AU, the restrictions will have no direct impact – but there will be consequences for a few of us.

The government is asking residents of the municipalities of Hjørring, Frederikshavn, Vesthimmerland, Brønderslev, Jammerbugt, Thisted and Læsø not to travel outside their home municipalities. This means that if you live in one of these seven municipalities and normally commute to an AU location in a different municipality, you must work from home.

And if you have planned activities in any of the affected municipalities within the next four weeks, you must cancel or postpone them.

The hard lockdown has been imposed on Northern Jutland because Statens Serum Institut has identified a coronavirus mutation (known as ‘cluster 5’) that has spread from mink to humans.

Naturally, we will monitor the situation closely, and we hope that this intervention will prevent the mutated virus from spreading beyond the seven municipalities in Northern Jutland.

Sincerely,

The senior management team

Dear students and employees,

Since our last announcement on 25 October, we have received additional clarifications of the government’s most recent COVID-19 restrictions from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. As a result, we have adjusted our guidelines as outlined below.

But before we explain the changes, we feel it is important to emphasise that generally speaking, the conditions and guidelines for work and study at the university are unchanged by the government’s most recent announcement. The most significant change is that wearing face masks is now mandatory in certain locations.

Face masks – ‘communal areas’ are defined by management at local level

While on campus, students, employees and others must wear face masks when moving around indoors. For example, this applies in canteens, in hallways and in other communal areas.

However, the ministry has informed us that there may be areas where employees are not required to wear face masks, as the ministry defines ‘communal areas’ in the following way:

[Communal areas]...are areas to which both employees, students, etc. have access. For this reason, the individual institution may exempt administrative buildings/areas from the face mask mandate if students, etc. do not have general access to the particular area. This will still be subject to a concrete assessment at the individual institution.”

As an employee, you should contact your immediate supervisor for more information on where you are exempt from the face mask mandate.

Meetings with more than ten participants are possible after all:

In addition, the ministry has also clarified that the universities are exempt from the 10-person maximum limit for gatherings. This means that we are allowed to hold in-person meetings with more than ten participants. In-person meetings may be held if they:

• are important and can be held in a safe manner, and if it is possible to adhere to the healthcare authorities’ social distancing and hygiene guidelines.

• respect the maximum number of occupants set for the room where they take place.

Local management is still responsible for deciding whether an in-person meeting is appropriate based on an overall assessment of factors, including the importance of the meeting and the number of participants, and whether it is safe to bring people together from many different places.

It is still possible to hold academic events. However, the ministry has clarified that they must be held during the day (8:00 - 20:00).

Read more about meetings and events here.

Student association academic events – current guidelines extended through 2 January 2021:

Student associations may continue to hold academic events if they are sufficiently important and can be held in a safe way. The maximum number of participants at such events is still 50 persons, and participants must remain seated for the majority of the event. Read more. This will apply at least through 2 January 2021. 

As we have noted, most of the conditions and guidelines for study and work at the university are not affected by the government’s latest announcement of new measures. However, there is one significant exception: both students and employees must wear face masks when moving about in communal areas on campus, at least until 2 January 2021.

In addition, the ban on holding social events at or by the university will apply at least until the same date. This is a truly unfortunate consequence of the serious situation we are facing: that we cannot meet socially and enjoy lots of ‘hygge’ together as we normally do in the upcoming festive season, with Christmas and New Year right around the corner. And we could certainly do with some cheering up – more now than ever. Again: Let’s help each other keep our spirits up as best we can, and let’s hope that additional measures and restrictions won’t be necessary.

Kind regards,

Brian, Berit, Arnold, Lone, Thomas, Lars Bo, Kristian, Johnny and Eskild

Dear students and employees,

On 23 October, the Danish government announced that additional COVID-19 restrictions are required, and some of these restrictions will affect students’ and employees’ activities at Aarhus University.

FACE MASKS

As of Thursday 29 October, It will be mandatory to wear face masks in more situations than before. Currently, it is mandatory to wear face masks in the canteens. As of 29 October, students and employees must wear face masks indoors in the communal areas on campus.

When you are seated in the room you are going to stay in – e.g. a classroom or an office – you can remove your face mask. However, you must still comply with the distancing requirement of one metre and disinfect contact surfaces thoroughly.

Normally, teaching staff and speakers are not required to wear face masks or visor when teaching, but must, as before, comply with a distancing requirement of two metres to the nearest members of the audience. However, teaching staff who teach more than two classes during a day must wear face masks or visor in connection with teaching.

The rules for use of protective equipment in laboratories have not changed.

RESTRICTIONS ON GATHERINGS

The maximum size of gatherings has been reduced from 50 to 10 people. These restrictions enter into force on Monday 26 October and have, at this point in time, been set to continue the next four weeks. Meetings with more than 10 participants must therefore be held online.

The restrictions on gatherings do not apply to teaching activities, exams or similar where physical attendance is necessary.

Unfortunately, social events (including Christmas parties) cannot be held at the university up to and including 2 January 2021.

ON-SITE WORK AND TEACHING

The current restrictions have not been changed. The university’s employees still work from home if this is considered possible and appropriate by the immediate supervisor. When considering whether working from home is appropriate, aspects such as specific task performance, psychological well-being and organisational cohesion can be taken into consideration.

As before, the immediate supervisor can clarify to what extent and how it is possible for the individual employee to go to work on campus.

Again, we have been asked to take special precautions to contribute to reducing the rate of infection in our society. We are fully aware that these uncertainties and changes are exhausting. These are the conditions we share with the rest of society and, unfortunately, we cannot change them.  However, we can continue to support each other as much as we can and keep our spirits up together. We therefore encourage all of you, students and employees, to reach out to your fellow students and colleagues, even without a direct work- or study-related purpose.

This is what we know right now. On Wednesday, there will be a partnership meeting in the educational sector which may lead to adjustments in relation to the guidelines above. Therefore, we ask you to keep an eye on the university’s corona website which will be updated regularly.

Kind regards,

The senior management team

Employees have received the following information from their management.

On 7 October, The Danish Ministry of Health extended the current COVID-19 restrictions and recommendations, which also affects the universities. They will remain in force until at least 31 October.

Here at Aarhus University, what that means is that:

• we must continue to work from home wherever possible and feasible. 

• academic and professional meetings and events both for and involving students and employees may be held, on condition that the event in question is sufficiently important and that COVID-19 guidelines are adhered to. Limits on the number of perticipants must also be respected. See more under meetings and events. 

• no social events may be held at the university for students or employees. 

Employees have received the following information from their management.

On 25 September, the government extended the current COVID-19 restrictions and recommendations, which also affects the universities. They will remain in force until at least 18 October.

Here at Aarhus University, what that means is that:

• we must continue to work from home wherever possible and feasible. 

• academic and professional meetings and events both for and involving students and employees may be held, on condition that the event in question is sufficiently important and that COVID-19 guidelines are adhered to. Limits on the number of perticipants must also be respected. See more under meetings and events. 

• no social events may be held at the university for students or employees. 

Dear students and employees,

The government has just introduced a number of new restrictions and recommendations that will also affect the universities. They will remain in force until 4 October.

New guidelines for students and employees outside the Copenhagen area

As a rule, in-person classes will continue as planned. In other words, the university will not shut down during this period. However, we must work from home to the extent that this is possible and reasonable given the nature of the work. Research activities and administrative support functions may still be performed on campus if physical attendance is important for the performance of the work in question. If you have doubts, we encourage you to discuss your situation with your immediate supervisor so that you can decide on the appropriate course of action together.

New guidelines for students and employees in the Copenhagen area

The restrictions for the Copenhagen area announced on September 7 and 15 have been extended until 4 October. This means that on-site classes will proceed as planned. Employees must continue to work from home as far as possible. You are welcome to contact your immediate supervisor if you need to discuss your situation.

For all employees and students

Work-related meetings and events may be held in person if they are sufficiently important and can be held in accordance with the COVID-19 guidelines. If you have questions, please contact your immediate supervisor. If you decide to hold a meeting or event in person, you are still naturally required to be particularly careful to adhere to the current healthcare guidelines and recommendations. Please also note that the maximum size of gatherings has been reduced from 100 to 50 people.

On the other hand, all social events, both for employees and students at the entire university, must be cancelled, for the time being until 4 October.

We very much hope that by making a rapid, effective and joint effort, we will be able to avoid the need to introduce additional measures. However, we will be monitoring the situation closely, and will keep you informed of any developments.

We recommend that you check the university’s coronavirus site regularly for up-to-date information on the situation.

Kind regards,

Rector’s Office

Berit, Arnold and Brian

Dear staff,

Due to the increasing rate infection in the Copenhagen area and Odense Municipality, the healthcare authorities have imposed a number of extraordinary restrictions in these areas, effective immediately and at least until 22 September.

As a consequence, employees in Emdrup and at the Grundtvig Centre in Copenhagen have been informed that they are to work from home as far as possible, and no social events are allowed. In Roskilde and Flakkebjerg, employees who live in the municipalities where the additional restrictions will be in force in the coming weeks, are also encouraged to work from home as far as possible. These restrictions will not affect teaching, which can proceed as planned for the time being. The same applies to planned research activities.

If employees from other locations have meetings planned in Odense or the Copenhagen area, we encourage them to reschedule them as online meetings, or alternatively postpone them until after 22 September or until the authorities issue new guidelines. If you have any questions, please contact your immediate supervisor.

We are now in a situation that requires us to accustom ourselves to fluctuations in the infection rate that may lead to changed guidelines at short notice, locally and nationally. We are regularly adjusting our general guidelines to make them as clear as possible – but there will continue to be exceptions, as we are currently seeing among our colleagues in the Copenhagen area.

We encourage you to read the general guidelines on meetings and events, which has just been updated. The guidelines on meetings with colleagues from other buildings and external partners, professional/academic events with physical attendance and selected social events have all been adjusted.

We must all continue to exercise great caution and remain vigilant about adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines on social distancing, hygiene and gatherings.

Everyone is making a big effort – thank you. Let’s continue to watch out for each other.

Best regards,

The Rector’s Office

Berit Eika, Arnold Boon and Brian Bech Nielsen

Dear staff,

This afternoon, Mayor Jacob Bundsgaard announced that the authorities have lifted the special COVID-19 restrictions in Aarhus. This is truly excellent news for Aarhus University; it means that all of you who work at the university’s locations in Aarhus can return to work on campus on Monday. If you have any questions or doubts in this regard, we encourage you to discuss your situation with your immediate supervisor.

Naturally, we will all be required to adhere to the current guidelines for behaviour on campus, for the use of research labs, for holding meetings, for using offices, conference rooms and communal areas, etc. You will find all of the relevant guidelines here.

In relation to orientation week activities and teaching, the announcement means that they will proceed as planned.

Regardless of where and with whom we work, we must be careful to maintain social distancing, use sanitiser and so on. We are still in a situation that requires each and every one of us to contribute to keeping the infection rate down. In short: The better we are at maintaining social distancing, the more we can be together. We wish you all a great weekend.

Sincerely,

The Rector’s Office

Berit Eika, Arnold Boon and Brian Bech Nielsen

Dear employees

Aarhus University is embarking on the autumn semester with moderation and consideration. As we explained in the mail you received on 7 August, extra restrictions were imposed on the university’s locations due to a local surge in infections. These restrictions were to remain in force through 23 August. On Wednesday 19 August, the Danish Patient Safety Authority announced that these restrictions will be extended through 4 September. However, we have been in dialogue with the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, and have confirmed that the extended restrictions do not apply to orientation week at Aarhus University.

Classes start Monday

This means that the semester will start on 24 August. And at Aarhus University, on-site teaching activities and academic intro activities will take place as planned. This also applies to the university’s locations in Aarhus.

On all of Aarhus University’s campuses, all activities must take place in accordance with the guidelines from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. The most important of these are:

• Making sure that everyone adheres to the social distancing guidelines
• Making sure that hand sanitiser, hand washing facilities, etc. are available.
• Limiting the number of people present in the same room at the same time as much as possible (for example, by dividing up classes).
• Thorough cleaning.

All employees in Aarhus should continue to work from home as much as possible

The extension of COVID-19 restrictions in Aarhus means that all employees at AU locations in Aarhus must continue to work from home to the greatest possible extent through 4 September. The reason for this is to limit the spread of infection in the community.

Of course, if you need to go to campus to teach a class, you can go to campus. Many research activities are dependent on research facilities at the university; if you are a researcher, you may also work on campus if you need to, by agreement with your immediate supervisor. The same applies to administrative employees who need to be on campus to do their work. This is also by agreement with your immediate supervisor.

A shared responsibility

When you come to campus, please be very careful to maintain social distancing and practice good hygiene. You should also be careful about contact surfaces like door handles. We all have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and each other – and we have to help each other do the right thing. This is a shared responsibility.

We have asked for your patience and understanding a number of times already in connection with the pandemic. And we are doing so again. The university’s employees and students demonstrated truly commendable community spirit throughout the spring. And we must ask for your continued patience and understanding for some time yet. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis will not be over any time soon – and is lasting longer than most of us could have imagined. This is why it’s still important that we as a community all do our part to get through this challenging time as painlessly and sensibly as we can. To do this, we have to adhere to the guidelines the authorities have made.

You can always find the latest guidelines from the authorities and Aarhus University on the au.dk/corona website.  

This may not be the last time we have to deal with a partial, local shutdown of activities in response to an increase in COVID-19 infections. Only time can tell. But for now, we need to focus on doing our best to stop the spread of infection wherever we are, so that you can come to campus for as many of your classes as possible. And the same goes for us employees: hopefully, we’ll be able to return to our offices soon –and to all of the benefits of be on campus, and not least of meeting face-to-face.

All employees will receive a mail with more detailed information from your head of department/school or deputy director.

We would like to welcome you all to a new semester at AU, despite the circumstances.

Sincerely,

The senior management team 

The new political agreement reached on 20 May on the next phase of the reopening of Danish society will have a big impact on working conditions for Aarhus University staff. Under this agreement, it will now be possible for many of the university’s researchers and technical/administrative employees to return to work in the university’s buildings.

Employees who work at the university’s locations in Jutland and on Funen will have access to their workplace at the university. For the Capital Region of Denmark and Region Zealand, the parties to the agreement have limited this additional reopening to public sector research that requires physical attendance. As a rule, this applies to all researchers and the technical personnel who are needed for research to be carried out.

To reopen in a responsible way, we must comply with the guidelines laid down by the authorities, which will involve a number of restrictions. For example, in relation to how many employees may be at work at the same time and physical distancing, just as it will be necessary to exercise particular caution in relation to contact points like meeting rooms, lunch rooms, coffee machines and restrooms. Compliance will require very detailed planning at the local level, building by building, and this process will begin as quickly as possible. When it has been concluded, details on this phase of the reopening will be organised will also be announced at the local level. In other words, you will be informed by your management about when your place of work will be ready for you to return, and under what conditions.

This additional reopening of the university is a major step towards resuming our normal daily lives, which is extremely positive. Naturally, the reopening must take place in a responsible way, in compliance with the healthcare authorities’ instructions, out of consideration for the individual employee and society. 

If you have questions, you are always welcome to contact your immediate supervisor. However, we encourage you to wait a few days, because there is a lot of complex planning to be done, and this will take some time.

Access to campus for students is still limited    

But while daily life will return to something resembling normality for many employees under the agreement, on the other hand, advanced degree programmes will not fully reopen until phase 4 of the reopening in August. Unfortunately, what this means is that we can only give students access to AU’s campuses if they are involved in the selected exam and teaching activities that require physical attendance.

The agreement also states that “advanced degree programmes may conduct oral exams as well as teaching activities that require physical attendance”. This will only apply to a few selected exams. As part of phase 2, the university is already conducting exam and teaching activities on campus. This is taking place in full compliance with the healthcare guidance from the authorities.

We are well aware that many students have a keen desire to come back to campus. We share their desire to return to normal academic life, and we are very much looking forward to being reunited with our students on our campuses.

The Rector’s Office

Limited reopening of additional on-site activities at the university

From Monday 18 May, a limited number of students and academic staff will be allowed on campus for selected exam and teaching activities. This additional limited reopening of our on-site activities is a consequence of the government’s decision to proceed to phase 2 of the reopening of Danish society.

In phase 2, the government has given the universities permission to resume “teaching and exams that require physical attendance” to a certain extent. Read the agreement (in Danish)

After the announcement of phase 2 on 7 May, the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and Universities Denmark began discussing the type and scope of activities to be resumed. Universities Denmark presented the ministry with a proposal which has since been adjusted after dialogue with the ministry. The agreement means that each university has been allocated a quota for the number of students and employees who may be given access to campus during phase 2.

At Aarhus University, this means that the total quota for Arts and Aarhus BSS is 325 students, 153 VIPs and 40 TAPs. Each faculty receives half of the quota. At Health, Technical Sciences and Natural Sciences, we can give 747 students, 490 VIPs and 120 TAPs access to campus. This total quota is also to be divided equally between the three faculties. Finally, we can also give 14 central administration TAPs access to campus.

The department/school heads will contact each of the employees who will be given permission to carry out teaching and/or exam activities on campus. The affected student will be contacted directly by the studies administration office at their faculty.

What giving these academic staff and students access to campus will mean in practice is that a number of students will get to take exams that would have otherwise been postponed; that selected oral exams for which physical attendance is crucial may be held; and that some students and PhD students can participate in classes/supervision that require physical attendance. This is a welcome development for this group of staff and students. But unfortunately, there are many others who will not be included in this phase of the reopening.

As noted above, phase 2 begins on Monday 18 May. The university will remain physically shut down with the exception of the relatively small number of university staff who have permission to resume some of their on-site activities in phases 1 and 2, along with the very small number of staff who perform essential functions.

In the next phase of the reopening – phase 3 – the government will allow “full opening of public research activities that require physical attendance”. Phase 3 is set to begin on 8 June. We don’t yet know how this will be implemented in practice in our sector – or even if it will take place as scheduled at all. This will depend on developments in rates of infection over the coming days and weeks, in addition to political negotiations regarding priorities. But if phase 3 proceeds as planned, it will most certainly be an important step in the right direction. We are monitoring developments very closely.

Once again, we would like to emphasise that a large proportion of the university’s activities are suffering due to the physical shutdown. Naturally, we respect that this is a matter of political prioritisation, in which an assessment of the universities’ contribution to society is just one piece of a bigger puzzle in the reopening of the country, and that developments in the rate of infection will continue to be decisive.

With regard to limiting the spread of infection at the university, the authorities expect to announce overall guidelines for the reopening in phase 2. However, we have not received them yet. You will be informed when we have received these guidelines. In any case, all staff and students who are given access to campus will still be expected to comply with the general guidelines and instructions from the public health authorities. In addition, special guidelines apply to the labs, and there will be an extra focus on deep cleaning in the buildings students and staff will be using. If you have questions about what this means for your work, you are always welcome to contact your immediate supervisor.

In our wildest dreams, none of us imagined that we would still be faced with such a comprehensive shutdown of the university two months after we closed down. The situation is a severe strain on everyone, and it requires incredible patience – a patience all of you continue to demonstrate. Thank you. We hope that all of you take some comfort in the fact that – despite everything – we’re beginning to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

The senior management team

Dear students and staff,

On 7 May, a political agreement was made regarding phase 2 of a controlled reopening of Danish society.

With effect from 18 May, it will be possible for universities to expand the partial reopening to include teaching and exams which require physical attendance. This will mean that an agreed number of students and academic staff can access the universities.

In the coming week, the ministry and Universities Denmark will clarify and determine the specific details, guidelines etc in relation to the partial reopening. The opening will take place in a controlled way in accordance with the health authorities’ guidelines.

In addition, the political agreement on the plan for reopening states that the following initiatives may be a possibility in phase 3 with effect from 8 June:

• Full opening of public research activities that require physical attendance 
• Increased level of physical attendance at public workplaces

From August, there are plans for a full opening of all degree programmes.

The reopening initiatives above require that the epidemic is kept at a controlled level.

At AU, we are working hard to clarify what phase 2 specifically means for us. We expect to be able to give you more detailed information at the end of next week. 

We are, of course, pleased to see that we as a society are moving in the right direction. However, there is still a long way to go before we are back to normal at the universities.

In the management team, we are fully aware of this and we ask for your patience.

Again, we would like to express our appreciation for your exemplary efforts and willingness to make things work in this extraordinary situation.

Kind regards,

The senior management team

Dear employees,

As the prime minister announced on Monday 6 April, the universities will not be part of the first wave of the reopening of Danish society. The physical shutdown of the university has been extended until 10 May.

This new date brings us even closer to the exam period. We would have liked to give as many of our students as possible the opportunity to take the type of examination they have been preparing for. But this is not compatible with the prime minister’s most recent announcement.

For this reason, we have decided to convert exams to digital exams wherever possible this semester, so that we can conclude the semester as planned. However, there will be a very few exams which must be postponed because they require physical attendance. We are aware that this will have regrettable consequences for some of our students, and we must do everything we possibly can to prevent them from having problems in relation to the active enrolment requirement or maximum degree completion time as a result of COVID-19.

If it becomes possible to open the university physically later this semester, your boards of studies will have the option of administering your exams in the original form in cases in which there are strong arguments in favour of doing so. In this event, we ask that you notify the students at least three weeks in advance.

It is no easy task for teaching staff and boards of studies to convert so many exams to digital formats. But we must ask you to start planning immediately after Easter.

The continued physical shutdown will also be a challenge for a number of research activities. Now and in the first few days after Easter, each department/school will assess which activities will become very critical as a result of the extended shutdown period. The ministry will enter into a dialogue with the university about this right after Easter, but emphasises that there is very little room for manoeuvre. Please contact your immediate supervisor if you have specific questions about how you should deal with your activities.

Despite this situation, which can be challenging for all of us, we hope that you will have a pleasant and relaxing Easter holiday. I hope that it will be a welcome break during challenging times.

On behalf of the senior management team,

Berit Eika and Brian Bech Nielsen

Information to employees
14 march
Information will also be sent by email in the course of the day

Dear employees,

At the moment, there is a lot of information as the coronavirus precautions are changed on an ongoing basis. This was also the case last night, Friday 13 March, when the authorities made the announcement regarding travels to and from Denmark. Based on this, Aarhus University takes the following position in relation to travelling.

Employees at Aarhus University

Aarhus University strongly advises against official trips abroad, and we also strongly encourage all members of staff who do not live abroad to return to Denmark as quickly as possible. If in doubt, please contact your immediate supervisor for an assessment of your situation. It becomes increasingly difficult to get to Denmark, and capacity problems may occur also in the healthcare system in other countries. Members of staff must stay informed via The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark’s guidelines

Members of staff living abroad are not recommended to return to Denmark unless they feel unsafe or fear that it will not be possible for them to return to Denmark. In this case, it is also important to stay informed via The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark’s guidelines (link above).

Information in relation to students

Students and PhD students who are on long-term stays abroad are recommended to consider whether they want to continue their stay abroad or they want to return to Denmark – both options exist. In making this decision, the following should be considered:

• The quality and the capacity of the local healthcare system in case you get sick.
• The specific time of your planned return to Denmark. If you are planning to return to Denmark in the near future, there may be a risk that a lot of planes are cancelled when it is time for you to go home.
• Is it still possible for you to participate in teaching at your host university? If not, it may be a good idea to come home now.

If you choose to stay, you must follow the instructions from the local authorities and your host institution. You must stay informed on The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark’s website and sign up on the ‘danskerlisten’ to ensure that you receive the latest updates about your host country. 

This information is available for students on au.dk/corona which is updated on a regular basis. And for AU staff as well. If you have questions, please contact your immediate supervisor. 

This quite unusual situation is difficult to handle in many ways. We must do the best we can. This was one of the messages from Rector Brian Bech Nielsen in the news from the senior management team yesterday. See the video from Brian Bech Nielsen. 

Dear employee, 

Based on the government’s and the authority’s announcements tonight the senior management team at Aarhus University has decided that you should not come to work starting tomorrow March 12, 2020 and – until further notice – ending on March 27, 2020. If you carry out a critical function such as animal keeping, special research infrastructure etc. we ask you to come in tomorrow in order to agree with your manager on how best to handle the situation during the university closedown.

We need to focus on critical activities in the coming weeks, and we realize that the situation begs a number of questions. We ask for your patience in not being able to provide all answers with such a short notice, but we will work hard to provide all needed clarifications. We will ask you to keep informed at the AU corona webpage or through your immediate manager.

To everyone who teaches: As we communicated earlier today, the university is working to prepare digital solutions in order to offer distance learning online. We are working determinedly to get it up and running within a short span of time. Again, we ask for your patience. We are in the process of testing the technology. We expect to be ready in the beginning of next week to ensure the continuation of your teaching activities to the extent possible.

We ask you to work from home to the greatest degree possible. The university offers infrastructure that makes it feasible to work from home and together at a distance. We will speedily compile information about this infrastructure in order to make it easily available. As soon as possible, you will find a link for this information at the AU corona website.

Kind regards,

The senior mangement team

Information is also sent by email

Dear Aarhus University employee,

As I’m sure you’re aware, the coronavirus outbreak in Denmark right now is a serious situation. As an educational and state institution, we have a special responsibility to do our part to limit the spread of the virus, which is the government's very clear focus right now.

To live up to our responsibility, we have decided to introduce a number of measures that will be described below.

If you have any symptoms that can be attributed to the coronavirus, you must immediately contact your own doctor by phone and follow his or her recommendations. If you have had or are in close contact with someone who has a coronavirus infection, you must also contact your own doctor by telephone and follow his or her recommendations.

As a university, it is crucial that we continue to perform our core activities to the greatest extent possible in relation to society, education, research and public sector consultancy.

For the moment, the university’s five faculties will continue to carry out planned teaching activities, both in relation to classes and exams. However, there is one exception: medical Master’s degree students must not participate in physical lectures and classroom instruction at the university hospital. For the time being, this will apply for the month of March. Read more here

We will also keep libraries, study spaces and cafeterias open for the time being. We are doing so to make sure that students have access to study spaces. However, we strongly emphasise that users of these facilities must show consideration for each other, for example by maintaining social distance and washing or disinfecting their hands when entering and leaving the room. In this way, we can contribute to limiting the spread of the virus (read more on the coronasmitte.dk website – in English)

Digital teaching platforms

We are preparing for the eventuality that we will be unable to conduct teaching as usual, and are in the process of setting up digital teaching solutions that will enable remote teaching. We expect to be able to introduce remote teaching for the majority of teaching activities in a very short time in the event that this becomes necessary.

Research

Research activities at the departments and centres will continue as usual at present. If the situation makes this impossible for you, inform your immediate supervisor.

Events including conferences and seminars

Effective immediately and until further notice, events such as conferences and seminars will only be held if they are critical to the core activities education, research and consultancy.

Events that are not critical to education, research and consultancy must be cancelled or postponed. This also applies to events with under 1000 participants, and to events organised by Aarhus University as well as events held at Aarhus University by external organisers. If you are in doubt about whether an event for which you are responsible as an employee should be held, you must discuss and clarify this with your immediate supervisor.

If an event is considered critical to education, research or consultancy and should be held for that reason, the authorities’ instructions regarding the necessary precautions must be followed carefully (link to coronasmitte.dk). Please note that naturally, the authorities’ recommendation not to hold events with over 1000 participants must still be followed in all cases.

As a natural consequence of these precautions, social events at the university should be cancelled or postponed. If you are in doubt about whether an event should be cancelled or postponed, discuss and clarify this with your immediate supervisor.

We are already seeing that many participants in events at the university are cancelling, just as there are external speakers and partners who do not wish to visit the university under the current circumstances.

We encourage all employees to exercise caution in relation to what work-related activities you participate in. If an activity is not critical to education, research or consultancy, as a general rule, you should refrain from participating.

Work-related travel abroad

For the time being, all work-related travel abroad should be postponed or cancelled. This applies to work-related trips to all countries. This may seem drastic, but we are introducing this measure to limit the spread of infection to and from Denmark.

Until further notice, there will be no travel abroad for administrative employees and members of management.

Domestic work-related travel

Aarhus University advises employees and students to follow the government’s instructions regarding public transportation carefully.

Study trips

Teaching staff and students should cancel any study trips for the time being.

Transportation to and from the university

Aarhus University advises employees and students to follow the government’s instructions regarding public transportation carefully.

Non-work-related travel

The University advises employees to comply with the Danish authorities’ recommendations concerning trips to other countries (In Danish only)

Task force

We have a corona task force at the university that is monitoring the situation closely, and which is in regular contact with the other Danish universities.

On behalf of the senior management team,

Arnold Boon, Berit Eika and Brian Bech Nielsen

Update – 10 March at 11:00

The university’s teaching activities will continue as usual – with one exception. Students on the medical Master’s degree programme may not attend physical lectures and classroom instruction at the university hospital. At present, this applies to the rest of the month of March. Read more here

Update – 9 March at 11:00

At this point, teaching and research activities at Aarhus University will continue. We are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to follow the instructions from the authorities.

We still encourage all employees and students to take the situation seriously and to contact the health authorities if they experience any signs of coronavirus. Please inform your immediate manager as soon as possible, if you have been infected or placed in quarantine. In general, we encourage everyone to be particularly vigilant. If you have any questions about how to avoid infection, please see the Danish National Police’s website on the coronavirus. Among other things, you can find good advice on how to avoid infection – for example avoiding physical contact such as kisses, hugs and handshakes. 

We ask that all AU employees who are going on official trips in the near future follow the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark’s guidelines on travelling abroad https://politi.dk/coronavirus-i-danmark/hvis-du-skal-ud-at-rejse.

In relation to large gatherings, Aarhus University will continue to follow the Danish government’s instructions and cancel or postpone events with more than 1000 participants.

In relation to events with less than 1000 participants, please see the recommendations from the authorities on https://politi.dk/coronavirus-i-danmark/seneste-nyt-fra-myndighederne/myndighedernes-opfordring-vedr-arrangementer. As a member of staff, if you have any questions, please contact the head of your department/school. As a student at AU, if you have any questions, please contact your local studies administration unit.

Update – 6 March

Organisers are advised to cancel all events with more than 1,000 participants, the Danish government just announced. For the time being, this applies to events taking place in Denmark in March.

At this point in time, the government’s announcement does not apply to classes and exams at Aarhus University. Exams and classes will continue as scheduled.

In addition, at the present moment it will not be necessary to cancel events for employees and visitors to Aarhus University, because no events with more than 1,000 participants are planned for this month. Aarhus University is currently working to determine whether the government’s advice will affect events for students.

We are monitoring the situation closely, and the university will act on the advice of the Danish Health Authority and other relevant authorities. We also advise everyone to be particularly vigilant and to follow the health authorities’ advice about physical contact, in order to avoid exposing yourself or others to infection.

Update - 4 March