Freie Universitaet Berlin: Berlin’s Colleges and Universities Recommend Continued Use of Protective Masks on Campus
Berlin’s colleges and universities are asking students, employees, and university visitors to continue wearing FFP2 masks during the summer semester when inside buildings on campus, wherever groups of people congregate, and in high traffic areas and hallways.
Protective masks are still an effective and extremely necessary safety precaution even after the German Federal SARS-CoV-2 Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance lapses on May 25, 2022, say the university representatives in the State Conference of the Rectors and Presidents of the Higher Education Institutions in Berlin (LKRP), a sentiment also supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Higher Education and Research, Health, Long-Term Care, and Gender Equality.
In a statement, they also emphasized that the dangers of the Covid-19 pandemic are not behind us yet, which is why it is important to continue wearing masks as a means of limiting the spread of infections and thereby ensure that courses and other events can still take place on campus during the weeks to come. They added that another important goal is to ensure that libraries, computer labs, and other on-site workspaces remain open.
Berlin’s State Secretary for Research Armaghan Naghipour: “University operations and health and safety must be thought of as inseparable. It has been shown that by wearing a mask you are protecting yourself and others. It remains an important way that we can all contribute to ensuring that campuses remain open for teaching and studying, interacting with classmates and colleagues, and enjoying university life together in person.”
The chair of the LKRP and president of Freie Universität Berlin, Professor Günter M. Ziegler, further notes that the return to usual everyday life on campus at Berlin’s colleges and universities has been a great success and went very smoothly, which was impressive given that the last four semesters had to be held for the most part online due to the pandemic.
The Covid-19 Task Force of the Berlin Senate Department for Higher Education and Research, Health, Long-Term Care, and Gender Equality together with Berlin’s colleges and universities under the guidance of Berlin’s State Secretary for Researchwill continue to observe and assess the course of the pandemic at regular intervals. They will also continue to examine whether the basic rules and regulations in place need to be revised or updated depending on how the situation develops.