Information COVID-19

With regard to the ongoing global spread of COVID-19, Jacobs University has taken intensive measures to prevent and protect all students, guests and staff members at an early stage.

Jacobs University’s primary commitment, besides offering a first-class education, is to keep its community safe and healthy.

Already in January, Jacobs University established an internal coronavirus task force in which members of all areas of the university are represented. The Managing Director and the Head of Campus Security are leading this task force, which meets on a daily basis, monitors available data and all developments in regards to the virus, decides on further measures and prepares their implementation. This includes gathering information and recommendations from the "World Health Organization", the "Robert Koch Institute", one of the most important bodies for the safeguarding of public health in Germany, and the "Gesundheitsamt Bremen” (Bremen’s Health Office).

Ensuring health and safety means taking actions that aim to limit exposure of Jacobs community members to the virus, imposing social distancing where appropriate, and generally elevating preventive hygiene practices across the campus.

Jacobs University has already implemented a number of actions intended to slow the spread of the virus and protect the health of our community. We recognize that these actions will be disruptive and create challenges for many of us, as well as having financial implications for the University, but the health and safety of our community is our focus at this extraordinary time.

As of today, there are no known suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Jacobs University.

Please click here to read our Coronavirus FAQ.

Coordinated by the task force, all members of our community receive direct and regular information through

• Jacobs University’s intranet – where an information page on corona was set up.
• Posters, which were put up in all residential colleges and common rooms of our university
• Update emails from the university’s leadership
• Peer group and individual communication
• Internal social media channel
• Videoconferencing

Jacobs University recommends its community members to take all precautionary measures available to stay healthy:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. (See CDC handwashing video.)
• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are unavailable. In order to enable this, Jacobs University has installed hand disinfectant dispensers in all serveries, the coffee bar and all relevant administrative offices. Also free individual disinfection dispensers are available to all Jacobs affiliates.
• Maintain social distancing (Maintain at least 1 meter [3 feet] distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.)
• Refrain from touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Face masks are available to our students for free in all college offices. These are useful to protect others when you are sick.

Follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization

Jacobs University continuously strives to expand options to protect the members of our community within the scope of our possibilities. To this end, we established a process to facilitate precautionary examinations and early detection of a possible infection with the coronavirus.

In agreement with our Corporate Health Promotion Coordinator and our company physician, we established an easy process to follow when contacting a physician.

All community members are informed about the process to follow when contacting their primary care physician and the Central Health Service of Bremen,including all precautionary steps to consider (e.g. first calling before going to the office in person).

The Executive Board of the university has decided to suspend in-person teaching activities on the campus, starting on Friday 13 March 2020. At this point the suspension is in place until 14 April, before which management will communicate a decision on a possible extension or not.

However, this decision does not mean that academic activities are being curtailed; indeed, the university continues to be committed to completing the academic year as close to schedule as possible, especially in respect of final-year students. As already communicated, all faculty have committed to transferring their teaching activities to electronic platforms by 23 March, where they have not already done so. Those faculty who are still in the process of transitioning to new teaching platforms will liaise with their students about teaching arrangements for the interim period.

With regard to accommodation and food services for our students, the university has no intention and no plans of closing the campus and its colleges (halls of residence). The university is making all necessary arrangements to maintain all operations in this domain, even in the event of some students needing to be quarantined.  
We are in regular contact with our university physician and health and safety specialist who is commissioned by Jacobs University not only to advise us on such matters, but also to tend to our students and staff as may be required. We are strongly confident that our arrangements will allow students to continue remaining on campus until the end of their academic year.

The health and safety of students, staff and guests is our top priority.
New government regulations and criteria for events and larger gatherings of people went into effect for the month of March. These aim to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Since social distancing is one of the corner stones in preventing the further spread of COVID-19, starting on 16 March, Jacobs University has cancelled all events scheduled for the month of March (with the option of extending this period) until further notice. Please check our event website for updates.

Regarding the spread of the coronavirus, we understand that some of our students are considering returning home.
The university has decided that, since in-person teaching has been suspended, students who decide to return home and to stay there until end of examination days on 30 will not suffer formal disadvantages with regard to his or her teaching and examination situation.
 
Jacobs University continues to be committed to completing the academic year as close to schedule as possible. We aim to offer all final-year students the opportunity to take a qualified and recognized exam in May. To students who now wish to leave the campus in order to return to their home country or to their families the following applies: All study and rental contracts with Jacobs University remain fully valid. There will be no contract terminations or adjustments. Given this, the rental contracts and the associated access and use of the apartments remain fully valid through the spring 2020 semester. 

Our overriding principle is to protect the health and safety of our employees and our students. Campus operations will continue as normal as possible at this time and the campus will remain open.  

We take - out of solidarity principle - all measures to slow down the further spread of the coronavirus in the whole society.

The university has asked all employees to reduce personal meetings and limit the number of participants to a maximum of five.

The serveries at Jacobs University will remain open. Several intensive precautionary measures have been taken in the main catering facilities to protect the health of our community.

• The coffee bar, as a socializing spot, is closed
• Hand disinfectants were installed in all serveries
• No self-service —main dishes and side dishes are served at the counter
• Cutlery is packed
• Condiments/drinks/spreads are only available in packed portions

As an international university, members of Jacobs University’s community not only have their roots all over the world – our community members typically also travel a lot.

Jacobs University has cancelled all university-related trips to countries severely affected by the coronavirus. This regulation applies to all risk areas identified by the Robert Koch Institute.

In the event of COVID-19 reaching our campus, we have taken measures to ensure that housing and catering facilities are maintained open as far as possible.

For general questions with regard to the COVID-19, you can reach us at corona [at] jacobs-university.de. 
We will get back to you as soon as possible!

This page will be updated in case of any relevant changes in the risk situation and of any measures introduced by the Federal Republic of Germany, the State of Bremen or Jacobs University.