18.03.2020

Saarland University campuses to close temporarily

In an effort to counter the spread of the coronavirus, Saarland University is closing its campuses and suspending all teaching, research and administrative activities from 8 a.m. Tuesday, 17 March 2020 until further notice. All examinations and assessments requiring personal attendance are provisionally suspended until 24 April 2020. Lecture courses that require student attendance are expected to restart on 4 May.

In certain urgent and exceptional cases, the examiners and the student examinees may agree to conduct the oral examination by video conference. Standard commercial video conferencing systems can be used for such purposes. The examinations offices have been advised to adjust the completion times for academic assignments (e.g. essays, term papers, Bachelor’s theses, Master’s theses or theses in state-examined subjects) so that they reflect the duration of the closure.

Research work at Saarland University is to be organized so that research staff and students do not need to be physically present at university sites. University sites include the university research laboratories located in non-university buildings, such as those in the Saarland University Teaching Hospital (UKS). Key research infrastructure must be maintained. Critical research activity will continue as far as possible. This includes research activities concerned with the current coronavirus epidemic and relevant clinical diagnostics. Also covered by this exception are long-term research activities that would be difficult to reorganize, or where interrupting these activities would lead to a significant loss of critical data. Particularly complex scientific and clinical studies should, wherever possible, be allowed to continue without being compromised.

The university will continue to provide base-level services under its coronavirus pandemic response plan, which comes into force on the 17 March 2020 and contains detailed emergency plans for all areas of the university. The measures to come into force have been imposed as a result of the Saarland state government’s decision to close all higher education institutions as of 17 March 2020.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we continue to respond to this unfolding emergency. It will take time for all of the many questions that have arisen to be resolved in detail. Regular information updates will be posted at: www.uni-saarland.de/coronavirus

Please send questions or comments by e-mail to:
Crisis team of Saarland University

krisenstab(at)uni-saarland.de