Coronavirus updates Coronavirus updates

The opening hours of some of the individual HAW Hamburg buildings have been changed until further notice:

• Alexanderstraße 1 – The buildings close at 6:00 pm.
• Berliner Tor 5, BT7, BT9, BT11, BT13 and BT21 – All of the buildings close at 6:00 pm.
• Stiftstraße 69 – The building closes at 6:00 pm.
• Armgartstraße 24 and Finkenau 31/35 – All of the buildings close at 6:00 pm.
• Ulmenliet 20 – Monday–Friday: 6:30 am–5:00 pm. Closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Previously planned exams, tests and internships are excluded.

You can find current information about opening hours and offers on the Studierendenwerk Hamburg website.

1. The Chip Card Services Office at Stiftstr. 69 is closed until 31 January 2021. You can find further information on the chip card services page.
2. The validation stations in the foyer of Berliner Tor 5 and in front of the Chip Card Services Office at Stiftstr. 69 are freely accessible.
3. Please report cases of chip card loss, damage or theft via phone or email. You can find the contact information on the chip card services page.
4. Deletions of tickets due to exemptions from Studierendenwerk Hamburg will be processed by mail. The chip card and the notice of exemption must be submitted to HAW Hamburg before the deadline given. Chip cards sent by mail will then be returned by mail to the address provided.
5. To reset your passwords, please contact the Chip Card Services Office via phone or email.

On the HAW Hamburg libraries home page you can find all the necessary updates and information about our current services and access (e.g. e-media services, order and pick-up service, telephone consultations, etc.).

Please see the library FAQs for more information about the current situation.

Under section 22, paragraph 2 of the Hamburg Covid-19 Containment Ordinance in effect since 1 December 2020, only practical laboratory courses, practical and artistic training units, and examinations are permitted to take place on campus.  However, given the current level of corona infections, each examination planned to take place on campus should be assessed critically ahead of time regarding the possibility of replacing it with an alternative exam format. Instructors are responsible for ensuring that the maximum capacity indicated at the entry to the room is not exceeded.

The instructors will provide information about the specific rules for each course.

Where other events require the simultaneous attendance of students and instructors (e.g. teaching/study events for first- and second-semester students or small-group exercises), the instructor must complete a risk assessment in advance. The risk assessment form for carrying out courses on campus can be used for this purpose.

On-campus oral and written examinations are permitted provided the following protective measures are in place and adhered to:

• Under the Hamburg Covid-19 Containment Ordinance, the number of participants in closed rooms (regardless of room size) must be limited to a maximum of 50 people.
• If several exams are planned to take place in one area at the same time (e.g. along the same corridor), the start and end times must be staggered. It should be ensured that no large groups form at the building entrances and exits.
• Student desks or workstations shall be arranged in such a way that an area of 10 m² is allocated for each student and the physical distancing rules can be upheld at all times. The aisles and emergency escape routes must be accessible. 
• Academic staff must ensure that the number of students attending the exam does not exceed the maximum numbers permitted for the room, as shown in the notice on the room’s door.
• Examinations are only permitted in rooms with technical ventilation systems. Facilities such as the assembly hall at Alexanderstraße 1 and the auditorium in the BT 21 building are available for this purpose.
• Due to the limited number of participants, oral exams are permitted in rooms that can only be aired out using the windows. The room should be aired several times per hour during the exam by opening all windows as wide as possible.
• Persons entering and leaving seminar and examination rooms must maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 metres from other people at all times.
• Students are required to wear a medical mask for the duration of the examination. Students taking oral examinations are exempted from this requirement when they are at their seat, provided that all other hygiene and physical distancing measures can be maintained.
• The respective faculty will provide exam invigilators with an FFP2 mask for their personal protection.
• Sufficient time for cleaning and, where necessary, ventilation must be scheduled between consecutive classes or examinations.
• Students must leave the building immediately the examination or class is over.

Virtual oral and written exam formats are being offered at HAW Hamburg. These can include, for example, so-called open-book exams: Students are given an exercise which they have to complete independently and within a certain period of time (without supervision, as the use of information resources is permitted) and then upload for the examiner to mark.

More details are available in the following documents: Information for students about open-book exams at HAW Hamburg

Declaration of independent completion of open-book exam

Due to the current level of corona infections, students cannot be offered access to study rooms at HAW Hamburg at this time.

For everyone's security, the contact information of participants in on-campus courses will be collected via a QR code as of Wednesday, 2 December 2020. The comprehensive and digital collection of contact information is intended to make it easier for the health authorities to trace and get in touch with the contacts of the infected person in the event of a corona infection.

In order to participate in your on-campus course, you will need to scan the QR code posted next to the door and check in before entering the room. Please note that you need to check in again before each on-campus course. The check-in process is the same as in the cafeterias: you do not need to download an app or anything similar; all you need to do is set a PIN once. You will then need to enter your address and phone number. At the end of the teaching session you will need to check out.

It is also possible to check in using the URL listed under the QR code. This URL is generated specifically for the room in question. You do not need a smartphone to check in via the URL but can instead do so via any device with Internet access.

Your information will be saved for a maximum of 28 days and will subsequently be deleted.

• Medical masks must be worn at all times during practical activities.
• The maximum number of workspaces in the HAW Hamburg laboratories and workshops will be determined by the head of the respective laboratory/workshop (where necessary with the support of the occupational safety staff from the Occupational Safety/Conflict and Environmental Management Unit). An area of 10 m² must be allocated for each workspace.
• If necessary, entry and exit routes to the facilities (e.g. on a ‘one-way’ basis) shall be determined before the workshop or lab begins and the students informed prior to their arrival.
• Where multiple labs or workshops are taking place using the same access area, they must be planned with staggered start and end times. In some cases, it may be necessary to designate a meeting point in a separate area, informing the students of this prior to their arrival for the workshop or lab.
• Tools and materials that are used by more than one person must be cleaned following use. A standard cleaning solution will suffice. According to the Hamburg Occupational Health and Safety Service (AMD), disinfection is not necessary.
• If cleaning of such equipment, tools and material is not possible, users must wash their hands thoroughly before using them.
• The instructions given to students at the start of the workshop or lab must include details of the regulations contained in the Framework Hygiene Plan and the rules for the correct use of a medical mask (see 14.2 of the Hygiene Plan).
• Where necessary, a risk assessment can be carried out to determine whether additional preventative measures are needed. The risk assessment form forcarrying out laboratory and workshop activities on campus can be used for this purpose.The occupational safety staff from the Occupational Safety/Conflict and Environmental Management Unit (arbeitsschutz (@) haw-hamburg.de) can provide support if required.

In winter semester 2020/21 it is still necessary to observe the existing hygiene and physical distancing measures, which means that a return to full-capacity on-campus teaching is not possible.

In an expanded phase of secure on-campus activity, synchronous digital teaching formats and on-campus teaching are being coordinated with one another. A particular focus has been placed on on-campus teaching in special small groups for students in their first and second semesters. Laboratory and workshop teaching units, as well as exams, continue to be held on campus, in compliance with the hygiene and physical distancing measures.

In accordance with the different requirements of the respective course and examination regulations, the faculties and departments have organised the individual formats for the expanded phase of secure on-campus teaching and are responsible for informing students how these will be implemented.

Because of the very dynamic and serious development of the pandemic, the university management has decided to significantly limit on-campus operations until further notice.

The libraries' on-campus operations have been closed for this period, and courses planned to take place as hybrid courses or completely on campus are being offered digitally only. Student study rooms and other public areas of the university (e.g. the Faculty Service Offices, the Chip Card Services Office and the Student Center Info Desk) are closed to the public during the period from 14 December 2020 to 14 February 2021.

You can find more information on the Applications pages.

The general conditions for summer semester 2021 are oriented on those in the preceding winter semester. The final exams for the winter semester will conclude on 26 February 2021, which will result in a slightly delayed start to on-campus teaching in summer semester 2021. The following arrangements have been agreed with the Ministry of Science and within the university: The lecture period for cooperative degree programmes, with the exception of those in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, will begin on 15 March 2021 and run, with examinations, until 16 July 2021.

The lecture period for all other degree courses is scheduled to begin on 22 March 2021 and run, with exams, until 16 July 2021. We will supplement the lecture period, which will be reduced to 17 weeks (including exams), with digital teaching in order to adhere to the accreditation regulations.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is again providing non-repayable grants to those students experiencing acute financial need as a result of the corona pandemic. The monthly grants will be available from November 2020 to March 2021 and will be awarded through Studierendenwerk. Students can apply (online only) for the interim financial aid as of 20 November 2020.

Depending on the level of need, grants of €100 to €500 per month are available.

To the application for interim financial aid (in German only)

Additional information about the interim financial aid from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

The individual standard period of study will be extended by one semester for all students who were enrolled and not on leave in summer semester 2020 and winter semester 2020/21. This is especially important for those students receiving BAföG support, as well as for all those who want to complete their studies within the standard period.

This extension of the standard period of study will initially be noted on the BAföG certificates, de-registration certificates and old-age pension insurance certificates. The basis for this change is the amendment to the ordinance to extend the measures to overcome the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic in the university sector. This amendment was passed by the state parliament of Hamburg on 29 December 2020 (and published on 8 January 2021).

Student Counselling Office

• The Student Counselling Office has extended its telephone office hours: Mon and Tues, 10:00 am–1:00 pm; Thurs, 1:00–5:00 pm; psychological counselling, Tues, 2:00–3:00 pm Tel.: +49 1522 4744063
• If you would like an individual advising session via telephone or video, please send a mail with your phone number to studienberatung (@) haw-hamburg.de. The advisers will contact you as quickly as possible to make an appointment. 
• Outside our office hours, you can call the student services line at +49.40.42875-9898 (Mon–Fri, 8:00 am–5:00 pm) or send us a mail at the above address.
• You can find further information on sources of support that are available outside our consultation hours and useful links with advice on coping with this extraordinary situation on our website: Counselling and Mental Health and Student Counselling and Coaching.
   

Family Office

• The Family Office provides advising services for students who are currently working in home office and have childcare/caregiving responsibilities. You can contact the familienbuero (@) haw-hamburg.de for more information or see the list of additional support services (in German only).
   

Equal Opportunities Commissioner

• The counsellors for victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault provide support in cases of harassment and assault, including those incidents that take place in private learning environments: Stefanie Kieback, stefanie.kieback (@) haw-hamburg.de, Andrea Bettels andrea.bettels (@) haw-hamburg.de, Sabine Stövesand  sabine.stoevesand (@) haw-hamburg.de, Peter Hambrinker peter.hambrinker (@) haw-hamburg.de
   

Studying with a disability or chronic illness

• If you are having difficulties with your (digital) studies because of health-related limitations or chronic illness and require support, please contact the representative for disabled and chronically ill students (Prof. Dr. Röh: dieter.roeh (@) haw-hamburg.de) or the advisor and project coordinator for students with disabilities and chronic illnesses (Meike Butenob: meike.butenob (@) haw-hamburg.de).
   

Financial support

• The staff at Studierendenwerk Hamburg’s Advising Centre for Student Financing (BeSt) can also answer your questions about finances and the possibility of receiving financial support. 

Student Admissions and Registration Office

• You can contact the Student Admissions and Registration Office by phone: Mon and Tues, 9:00–10:00 am and 11:00 am–1:00 pm; Thurs, 9:00–11:00 am and 2:00–5:00 pm. You can find the numbers of the individual staff members on the

  Infodesk website.

   You can also send a mail to 

  Studierendensekretariat (@) haw-hamburg.de.

• Outside our office hours, you can call the student services line at +49.40.42875-9898 (Mon–Fri, 8:00 am–5:00 pm).
   

International Office

• The International Office has produced a brochure for international students: 'We’re here for you!'

Individualised measures must be adopted for students who have a pre-existing health condition or disability (certified by a doctor) that puts them at risk of experiencing severe illness and complications from a Covid-19 infection. 

Where necessary, compensation for disadvantages should be granted if a student is not able to take part in on-campus activities (e.g. exams, laboratory exercises) due to their personal situation. Students can apply to the chair of their department’s Examination Board to receive such compensation:

Application form: compensation for disadvantages

In addition, the additional challenges that online teaching poses for these students – e.g. with respect to self-organisation, the quantity of material to be learned or barrier-free technical infrastructure – must be taken into account and addressed.

Instructors or students who have questions related to these issues or require advice can contact the representative for disabled and chronically ill students, Prof. Dr. Dieter Röh, or Meike Butenob, advisor and project coordinator for students with disabilities and chronic illnesses:

dieter.roeh (@) haw-hamburg.de 
meike.butenob (@) haw-hamburg.de