Classes at Masaryk University are still being taught in person. Only classes that are attended by more than 150 people are being taught remotely or in hybrid form. Examinations and other forms of completing courses can be held in person. Respirators must be worn, and people must stay 1.5 metres from each other. Since Monday, 22 November, yellow-level restrictions have been in place at Masaryk University. The public is prohibited from entering all MU buildings, and in keeping with current legislation, respirators must be worn indoors throughout the university.
The deans of nine MU faculties have decided that students must comply with the O-N-T (vaccinated, recovered, tested) rule, that is, to provide evidence that they have been vaccinated, recovered, or been tested. O-N-T status information can be found IS. The Faculty of Pharmacy has decided that social distancing will be practised in its buildings. According to Dean David Vetchý, faculty leaders are convinced that social distancing during classes can be maintained throughout the semester.
At the Faculty of Law everyone who enters the building must comply with the O-N-T rule. Students must enter their O-N-T status in IS. Classes, both seminars and lectures, will continue to be taught in person. Students who cannot attend classes will be provided with alternative means for completing coursework. Most exams at the faculty will be administered remotely.
Students at the Faculty of Medicine also must comply with the O-N-T rule. “In implementing this measure, we have decided that people must undergo a RT-PCR test for SARSCoV-2 once every three days. Students and employees who are fully vaccinated or who have evidence of recovering from COVID-19 in the past 180 days do not need to get tested,” said dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Martin Repko, adding that if legislation and the situation allow it, the validity of test results will be extended.
At the Faculty of Science students must comply with the O-N-T rule and provide proof of their status in IS. Acceptable tests are RT-PCR tests, rapid antigen tests intended for self-testing, and rapid antigen tests performed by a healthcare provider; tests must be performed once a week. Students who do not comply with the O-N-T rule will be allowed to study remotely where possible. For example, lectures may be live-streamed, or new and old recordings may be made available. Theoretical exercises and seminars can be accessed remotely where feasible, or options for completing coursework at home may be given. For lab classes where remote learning is impossible, not complying with the O-N-T rule will be considered an excused absence, and the maximum number of excused absences for each course can be taken. In-person exams will be held in keeping with MU-wide rules.
Students at the Faculty of Arts must also comply with the O-N-T rule to attend classes. All members of the faculty community, not only teachers and students but also other staff, whether or not they teach, must comply with the rule. This applies to healthy individuals. In keeping with the decision of the MU rector, those who are ill may not attend classes and are not allowed to enter the faculty’s buildings. If a student does not provide an O-N-T certificate, their teacher or course guarantor will assign them an alternative method of completing coursework depending on the type of course and the technical equipment available in the classroom. Because teachers have no way of knowing why students are not present in class, whether because they did not provide evidence of their O-N-T status or for other reasons, it is up to the student to contact the teacher and request an alternative means of completing coursework.
At the Faculty of Education, to enter faculty buildings students must upload to IS evidence of vaccination, a laboratory-issued confirmation of having recovered from COVID-19, or a negative RT-PCR test result, once every week. Employees must upload to INET evidence of vaccination, a laboratory-issued confirmation of having recovered from COVID-19, or a negative test result. Acceptable tests are antigen tests, self-tests, and RT-PCR tests; tests must be performed once per week.
The Faculty of Pharmacy has implemented yellow-level rules at its facilities. However, it is not requesting students comply with the O-N-T rule. The faculty has decided to plan classes in such a way that students keep at least 1.5 metres from each other. The faculty is capable of ensuring such social distancing until the end of the semester. “This regime applies to classes that are provided by the Faculty of Pharmacy and which take place in its facilities. If students of our faculty take courses at other MU faculties, we recommend they stay informed about the rules and conditions related to studying at those faculties,” said vice-dean for studies, Tünde Ambrus, adding that the faculty will continue to monitor the situation and that the rules may change.
The Faculty of Economics and Administration is not just relying on students entering their O-N-T status in IS. It has also decided to randomly check O-N-T status at the main entrance to the faculty. Since Monday, the rear entrance has been closed. Students who do not comply with the O-N-T rule are not automatically excused from their courses and must immediately contact their teachers to request an alternate way of completing coursework. Exams at the faculty can be taken in person or online. The decision is left up to the guarantor of each course.
The Faculty of Informatics has implemented yellow-level rules. To enter the faculty, students must provide evidence of their O-N-T status. Their status must be up to date in IS. Teachers are not obliged to check their compliance with the rule.
To attend classes at the Faculty of Social Studies, students must prove their O-N-T status in IS. Students who do not comply will not be allowed into faculty classrooms. Teachers, however, must provide them with, for example, a reading list, presentations, or recordings of lectures from previous years, and assign alternate coursework, for instance, in the form of a seminar paper. Online and hybrid learning is not offered. Students taking in-person exams must comply with the O-N-T rule and must stay at least 1.5 metres away from each other. Teachers are required to offer students exams online.
Students of the Faculty of Sports Studies must comply with the O-N-T rule to attend classes. This decision was made because it is impossible to practice social distancing during classes at this faculty. For students who do not comply with the O-N-T rule, all classes are streamed. Courses held in gyms, however, are not streamed. Instead, students will be provided with electronic study materials.
In keeping with yellow-level restrictions, the public may not enter MU libraries. Students must regularly check the conditions for visiting individual libraries on each library’s website. Most have implemented the O-N-T rule. Respirators must be worn at all times, and people must keep at least 1.5 metres from each other.
Current measures in place at MU are in line with current government measures.