Work safely during the corona crisis

 This page has not been updated with lockdown information. We advise you to keep an eye out for the Executive Board emails in your inbox. We repeat them at the bottom of this page for your convenience.

Read more about:

 Education on campus
 Safety measures on campus
  COVID-19 Self-tests
  Accessibility UM buildings
  Working from home
  Online education 
  Research
 Vaccination 
 Travelling or commuting for work

The increasing number of infections and new government measures make it necessary for us to inform you about a number of things: 

Making a comeback: face masks

The last few weeks we could walk around the UM buildings like we used to, without face masks. As of 6 November, they are once again required on campus. Like before, you put your face mask on when you move around and take it off (if you want to) when you are seated. This applies to all situations in all buildings.

The 1.5 metre-distance rule

The government recommends 1.5 metres as a safe distance to keep from one another. The 1.5 metre-distance rule was already eased in education settings before the summer - earlier than in the rest of the Netherlands, because the government saw the importance of on-campus education. As an extra measure, the requirement to wear a face mask remained in force for a longer period of time for us. The government's new advice is in line with this, which again allows us to continue our teaching and research activities. That means we try to keep a distance of 1.5 metres from each other where possible and wear face masks when we move around. In this way, on-campus education and research are organised in the safest possible way.

Events

The rules that apply to UM events depend on a number of factors: what type of event is it, is it held at a UM venue and are there mainly internal or external visitors? In a nutshell, the rules are as follows:

For ‘regular’ UM activities
These are all activities that fall within our primary work; for example, tutorials, exams, graduation ceremonies, promotions, open days and inaugural speeches.

• If these take place on campus, the on-campus rules as described above apply. A coronavirus entry pass is not required.
• If these take place at an external location, that location will determine which rules apply. If they are willing to apply the education-related rules, the on-campus rules as described above will apply. A coronavirus entry pass is not required. If they are not willing to apply the education-related rules, the rules of the relevant location will apply.

For ‘non-regular’ UM activities
These are all activities that fall outside of our primary work; for example, conferences and seminars.

• If these are mainly attended by UM staff and students, the on-campus rules as described above apply. A coronavirus entry pass is not required.
• If these are attended by a large number of external guests, a coronavirus entry pass will be required. Where a coronavirus entry pass is required, the face mask requirement does not apply.

 Do you want to come to campus? Always do a health check and always stick to the safety measures! Would you like to read more about COVID symptoms, do a health check right away, or have you or someone close to you recently tested positive for COVID-19 and might need to go into home isolation or quarantine?

On our safety pages you will find more information about all of this and the safety measures on campus, including more information on facemasks and the hygiene measures taken by UM.

  Read more about the safety measures on campus 

Self-tests

We would like to stress the importance of self-testing. You do a self-test as a precaution, even if you are not experiencing any symptoms. The government advises you to do a preventive self-test twice a week. You can also use a self test in the event you have COVID related symptoms. Is the result of the self test positive? Then you probably have COVID, you should take precautionary measures and have the positive result of the self test confirmed by a test at the GGD. Is the result of the self test negative? Then you probably do not have COVID. But be careful and follow the basic safety measures. Was your self-test negative, but the symptoms do not subside? Do another self test. Are you getting sicker and are you worried? Then contact your doctor.

Use the self tests twice a week to protect yourself and the people around you! As a student or employee, you can order free self tests by mail, even if you live in Belgium or Germany. You can order using your UM account at www.zelftestonderwijs.nl. This website is available in Dutch and English. You will find instructions in both languages on how to administer the self-test and general information on self-testing. It is preferable that you only order a self-test if you are sure that you will be visiting one of the UM buildings. This is to ensure that there will be enough self-tests available for people who definitely need to come to UM. For people without a UM account who need to visit a UM building regularly, we will have a (limited) number of self-tests available on site. 

The use of a self test is and will remain voluntary. You do not need to provide proof of a negative test result in order to enter the UM buildings. The self-tests are an addition to the existing corona measures within UM.

Since the beginning of the corona crisis, we have done everything in our power to create the safest possible studying and working environment. We will continue with intensified cleaning, the existing ventilation measures  and the provisions for hand sanitisation upon entry. And of course: wash your hands as often as possible and, if you have cold-like symptoms, stay home and get tested at the GGD.

More information about our facilities services, such as the cleaning within our buildings, the food and beverage outlets and catering and the accessibility of the car parks, can be found here on the intranet. (only available in Dutch at the moment) 

The government has made the rules on working from home stricter again. Since November, the advice has again been to work at home unless there is no other option. Employees can discuss with their supervisors what this means for their daily work. 

If, despite all the safety measures, you still have concerns about safety, please contact your manager. We have recently provided managers with a ‘handbook’ on how they can talk to you about these concerns and what you can do together so that you can come to work with peace of mind. If there are possible medical reasons for not coming to campus, you can make an appointment with the company doctor, but please consult your manager first.

To support you in this, you can find information here about working from home, we provide tips on staying fit and healthy, we provide extra information on online education and you can find all you need to know about our IT facilities and how you can work safely from home.

During this pandemic, we made available a lot of information about online education. Some of that information can be found here. Do you have urgent questions? Contact your faculty.

Location-based research is permitted. Research according to protocol with test subjects may also continue, provided that the test subjects themselves agree to this. Here you will not only find more information about the additional safety measures for research with human subjects, but you will also read more about  possible solutions for the delay. In addition, you can read more about research funding.

In 2021, everyone in the Netherlands age 18 and older will receive an invitation to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. That includes UM students and employees. If you live in the Netherlands and are registered as a resident of a Dutch municipality, you will automatically receive an invitation for a free COVID-19 vaccination in due course.

You may have questions about the COVID-19 vaccination. We have created a webpage, a video series in which UM experts explain the science behind the COVID-19 vaccination, and online lectures from the ‘Universiteit van Nederland’ on the virus and vaccines by immunologist Professor Marjolein van Egmond (Amsterdam Medical Centre).

Travelling from abroad to the Netherlands?
Employees and students who have recently travelled from abroad and who have not yet received an invitation for vaccination, can get vaccinated immediately upon arrival in the Netherlands. 

  Read more here about the COVID-19 vaccination.

Going abroad

The Dutch government advises against travelling to areas, countries or regions with a code orange or red status. Red means do not travel. You can only travel to orange areas if this is absolutely necessary. During this pandemic, any requests for urgently necessary business trips to high-risk countries with color code orange within the EU can temporarily be submitted by e-mail to the director of the management unit, without the permission of the Executive Board. This means that there is temporarily no need to fill in a consent form. Permission for the trip can only be granted if the business trip is necessary and cannot be postponed. 

For a business trip to a country with color code red within Europe or color code orange / red outside Europe, permission from the CvB must be requested in accordance with the UM regulation 'business trips to risk areas'.

  More information on business travel to risk areas

Coming from abroad 

If you're travelling to Maastricht from abroad, you will have to take a number of things into account, depending on where you come from. For example, corona documents, self-testing and quarantine. You can find out what applies to your situation on the government website. Please note: the rules change regularly, so keep a close eye on the website. 

Exceptions to these measures apply to border workers and border students when travelling to the Netherlands for study and work purposes.