English

What is a close contact?

The following persons are considered close contacts:

• Persons sharing a home with an infected person
• Persons who have had direct physical contact with an infected person (e.g. through hugging)
• People who have had unprotected and direct contact with secretions from an infected person
  (e.g. through being coughed on or through touching a used handkerchief, tissue etc.)
• People who have had close face-to-face contact (at a distance of less than one metre for more than
  15 minutes) with an infected person (e.g. through having had a conversation with the infected person)

You are considered a close contact if you have had close contact with an infected person from 48 hours before the person started displaying symptoms until 48 hours after the symptoms have ceased.

If the person who has tested positive has no symptoms, you are considered a close contact if you have had close contact with the infected person from 48 hours before they were tested positive until seven days after the test.

If more than 14 days have passed since you had close contact with an infected person, and provided you have no symptoms, you are considered infection-free and therefore do not have to take any special precautions.

I am a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. What should I do?

If you are a close contact of someone at UCL who has testet positive for COVID-19, here is what you should do:

• Self-isoltate as soon as possible
• You will be contacted by someone from UCL and possibly The Danish Patient Safety Authority
• UCL will contact you with further information regarding your study situation

If you are a close contact of someone outside of UCL who has testet positive for COVID-19, please self-isolate as soon as possible.

If you are informed that you are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you should have a test done as soon as possible, even if you have no symptoms. As a close contact, there is no way of knowing if you are infected until you have been tested. Therefore, you must act as if you were infected until you have had the result of your test.

Until you receive the test result, you should:
1. Self-isolate
2. Practise good hygiene
3. Make sure to clean thoroughly
4. Be alert to possible symptoms of COVID-19

How do I get testet?

When you are told that you are a close contact of a person who is infected with COVID-19, you must contact Coronaopsporing (Corona Tracking), a division of the Danish Patient Safety Authority, which can refer you for testing. Once you have been referred for testing, go to coronaprover.dk and
book times for two tests:

First test: Book a time for your first test as soon as possible after your referral, but please note that the first test should be done a minimum of four days after your initial close contact with the infected person. If you have had close contact with an infected person for some time, e.g. because you live together, you should book a time for the first test as soon as possible.

Second test: The second test should be done two days after the first test. If more than six days have elapsed since you last had close contact with the infected person, you do not need two tests. In that case, you only have to book a time for one test.

If you are unsure about how and when to book a time for testing, please contact Coronaopsporing (Corona Tracking) on tel. 32 32 05 11 for guidance.

When can I return to campus?

If you have been sent home as a close contact due to infection at UCL, do not show up on campus until you have two negative tests.

If you studying in what we call mixed teams and cannot comply with the 1 metre distance requirement, you must wear a face mask.

There will be signs in all rooms stating the maximum number of people allowed in the room for permanent and mixed teams respectively. If this limit is exceeded, you must wear face mask. Your timetable will inform you if the study activity involves mixed teams. If all your study activities take place within the same team for a minimum of one week, we consider this a permanent team.

You will have to bring your own face mask, but in the time to come UCL will help you if you cannot get hold of one. We have no requirements concerning what type you use, but recommend that you follow the health authority guidelines in this respect. Guidelines are constantly being altered, and may possibly be altered again in the future.

• Your semester at UCL in the fall of 2020 continues to be marked by coronavirus. You should therefore expect UCL to follow the guidelines issued by the National Board of Health and other authorities. It will have a bearing on our behavior on campus and on our interaction with each other, on the provision of food from our canteens, on Friday bars and other social activities, and not least on hygiene, where we will provide plenty of hand sanitizer and soap everywhere we go on campus.
• Your classes will switch between online and physical prescence. To ensure that we are not too many on campus at the same time, parts of your learning activities will be online. It will appear in your schedule and it may vary from team to team what percentage of tuition is online. In addition, we have had good experiences with online teaching in the spring, so we want to continue that in the areas where the teachers have assessed it has added value.
• The classrooms we will be furnished a focus on keeping distance.
• The start of the semester is being organized with due regard to the fact that we continue to follow various health guidelines from the authorities. Stay informed on how your semester start is planned in Itslearning.
• The Introduction Days have been canceled or rescheduled this year due to the current conditions.
• It is your responsibility to look after others and yourself. Stay well informed on this page, and be sure to check your student email.
• If you are in an internship from the start of the semester, follow the guidelines that are available at your internship. If you are going abroad for an internship, then you must follow the guidelines on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. https://um.dk/en/travel-and-residence/coronavirus-covid-19/

UCL's fitness and training facilities are closed indefinitely due to the situation with COVID-19.

I have tested positive for COVID-19. What should I do?

If you as a student at UCL are tested positive for COVID-19:

• Stay home and isolate yourself. It is very important that you do not show up on campus or otherwise come into close physical contact with others.
• Contact the UCL Emergency Team as soon as possible on tel. 6318 3030. The telephone is open every weekday from 7am to 5pm and Sundays from 10am to 12pm.

The emergency team will ask about your movements and your close contacts at UCL in the time leading up to the positive test. The questions must ensure that we can take the correct measures for the other students and staff to avoid the spread of infection.

You may also be contacted by Coronaopsporing from the Danish Agency for Patient Safety, who will help to map and possibly contact all your close contacts. UCL will only ask you for close contacts in the UCL context.

You must contact your Head of Studies about the coming time. Here you will, among other things, be able to get information about the possibility of online teaching.

When can I return to campus?

If you have had symptoms, you can cancel the self-isolation 48 hours after you are free of symptoms. However, loss of taste and smell can last for a long time without being considered contagious. Therefore, you may well cancel the self-isolation if these are your only remaining symptoms.

If you have not had any symptoms, self-isolate until 7 days after taking the test.

You do not have to be tested again to be declared healthy. It is the absence of symptoms for 48 hours that determines whether you can consider yourself infection-free.

If you think you are in higher risk of severe illness with COVID-19, contact your own doctor to assess whether you are in the higher risk group.

If your doctor confirms that this is the case, you must agree with your education how you can be active in your studies. The same applies if someone in your household is in the higher risk group.

• People at higher risk: https://www.sst.dk/en/English/Corona-eng/People-at-higher-risk

UCL Instructions for mobility stays abroad in the spring 2021:

• First of all, you are recommended to follow the guidelines from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and also instructions from local authorities and your host institution abroad: https://um.dk/en/travel-and-residence/coronavirus-covid-19/
• UCL complies with the travel guidelines by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Therefore, we discourage you to travel to countries, advised against by the Ministry. The travel guidelines can be found here (in Danish only): https://um.dk/da/rejse-og-ophold/rejse-til-udlandet/rejsevejledninger/
• You are responsible for checking up on the travel guidelines change  
• You are responsible for making sure that your insurance will cover you during a stay abroad. Pay attention to stays abroad to countries which are advised against, as your insurance might NOT cover. This might also apply to your health insurance!
• Therefore it is very important that you contact your insurance provider making sure that you have the relevant insurances:
  • Studies abroad: Travel insurance, health insurance and accident insurance
  • Traineeships abroad: Travel insurance, health insurance, accident insurance and liability insurance
    * Pay attention to an Erasmus stay abroad, where you are required to have the above mentioned insurances. Otherwise, you are not entitled to the Erasmus grant.
• If your stay abroad is cancelled and you already paid for your travel, please contact your travel insurance provider. UCL does NOT offer to cover any related expenses irrespective of the actual costs.  

Below you will find guidelines explaining what behaviour is expected of you on our campuses in the near future. We appeal to all staff and students at UCL - keeping the following guidelines and those of the Danish Health Authority in mind - to find at the local level responsible practical solutions to the challenges that may arise, so that it becomes clear who is to do what and how.

Everyone on our campuses during the gradual reopening phase is covered by these guidelines.

The guidelines lay down the general principles and apply to all campuses and physical facilities at UCL.

However, it is not possible to describe in detail how students and staff should behave in every conceivable situation. Conditions on the individual campuses differ, and require different practical solutions. For this reason, please be aware that there may be special local guidelines on individual campuses, in relation to specific activities and physical facilities, that students and staff must respect.

General guidelines to be followed in all UCL localities

• Basically, 1 metre physical distance must be observed everywhere on campus.  
• However, a physical distance of at least 2 metres must be observed in situations where there may be an increased risk of droplet infection, or where a precautionary principle requires special measures, such as:  
  • There must be a physical distance of at least 2 metres between the teacher/lecturer and the front row in any classroom or auditorium.
  • If you are in doubt about respiratory symptoms in yourself or another person, e.g. if you feel unwell on the way home from work, or think that someone else may have a cold.
  • When visiting care homes, hospitals, especially vulnerable people, etc., as laid down in the Danish Health Authority recommendations of May 4, 2020.
  • In the case of activities involving physical exertion and heavy exhalation, where droplets are formed and projected further away from the person than in normal speech - for example in singing, shouting, lecturing, acting, physical exertion, etc.
  • When in enclosed rooms with limited space to move in, poor ventilation, etc., such as basement rooms, stairwells, etc. 

Guidelines covering teaching activities on UCL's campuses

• The general recommendation of a physical distance of 1 metre may be deviated from in cases where such a deviation is considered necessary in order to be able to carry out teaching in an appropriate manner. It is however a prerequisite for deviating from the 1 metre requirement that the deviation applies to a particular group of students, and that this group of students only to a limited extent is involved in other classes or groups where the distance requirement is also deviated from. 
• A group may include about 25-30 students, who will form the core group for all activities involving deviation from the minimum physical distance of 1 metre. In exceptional circumstances, a group may comprise up to 50 students, if there are compelling reasons for this. In such a case, teaching should be so organised that students primarily face the same direction and move around amongst each other as little as possible. Deviation from the distance requirement within the above framework may apply to teaching in classrooms, laboratories, workshops, etc., as well as simulation rooms.
• In cases where it is necessary to deviate from the general 1 metre distance recommendation, special attention must be paid to the recommendations for managing people with symptoms, guidelines for close contact, cleaning and hygiene, including hand hygiene and a reduction in the number and duration of face-to-face contacts.
• When students are involved in several subjects or settings with different groups of students, in which it is necessary to deviate from the 1 metre requirement in order to conduct teaching in an appropriate way, especially in laboratories and workshops, the 1 metre requirement may be deviated from if the students wear personal protective equipment, such as face masks or face shields, and pay extra attention to proper hand hygiene in order to limit the risk of infection.
• The general recommendation of 1 metre physical distance (2 metres in special situations) must continue to be observed when students are in the same place as other groups or similar gatherings, for example in communal areas, large auditoria  and the like.
• When singing, shouting, etc., are involved - carrying an increased risk of droplet infection - it is recommended that both teachers and students maintain a physical distance of 2 metres.
• For lectures in large auditoria, where several groups are taught together, the established teaching groups that already deviate from the recommended 1 metre distance should be placed within fixed zones, which in turn must maintain the recommended distance to other zones or groups. In auditoria where many students are gathered together, protective equipment cannot in general replace the distance requirement. 

 
Guidelines when visiting or teaching in laboratories on UCL's campuses

• Gloves are mandatory in all laboratories for as long as necessary, but for as short a time as possible. The 1 metre physical distance recommended by the Danish Health Authority must generally be observed, but can be deviated from if this is a prerequisite for teaching and laboratory work to be carried out at all.
• In situations where there may be an increased risk of droplet infection, or where a precautionary principle requires taking special care, a distance of at least 2 metres must be observed.
• Personal protective equipment must be used if research entails a need for less physical distance than that recommended by the health authorities.
• Laboratory work should be reorganized according to the situation of the individual employee and agreed with their immediate line manager.
• At the end of all work sessions, employees must disinfect all surfaces, including switches, handles, keyboards, equipment, and so on.

 
Access to UCL only on the following terms:

• Hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed at the entrances on all campuses. These dispensers must not be removed. 
• Spray diffusers and wet wipes are available for disinfecting workstations in all offices.
• Wash your hands before and after eating, after blowing your nose and after coughing or sneezing into a disposable handkerchief.
• Wash your hands at regular intervals, e.g., after each lesson (at least every two hours).
• Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer when moving from one teaching group to another.
• Use only disposable materials such as paper towels.
• Students are asked to limit their time on campus to what is absolutely necessary.
• Students should leave campus immediately upon completion of their activity. You may not visit or stay in areas of the campus that have not been reopened.

If you are ill

Absolutely no access to campus if you are ill. You must be healthy and have no symptoms that could be related to COVID-19.

If you are ill or have symptoms indicating illness, stay home until you are completely recovered. Even with mild symptoms, like colds, stay at home. Remain at home for 48 hours after the last symptoms have disappeared.

Staff and students who are particularly vulnerable

There are special precautions to be taken for staff and students who are particularly vulnerable, live with a person who is particularly vulnerable, or have a child who is particularly vulnerable.

Responsibility for students and students' responsibilities

Management and staff are responsible for guidance to students concerning proper behaviour, ensuring that all students have been informed of the guidelines, including rules concerning conduct and hygiene, to ensure that we reduce the risk of spreading infection. It is also the students' own responsibility to ensure that they do not get too close to each other in the room they are working in.

Communal areas

Lifts should preferably only be used by disabled people or those with mobility problems.

Toilets

In general, please use the toilets on the floor that you are on.

Other toilets are cleaned twice a day.

Smoking

Smoking only in designated places. Students must be readmitted to the building after smoking. Remember to use hand sanitizer when accessing the building.

Water dispensers

Water dispensers must NOT be used.

Cleaning tasks for which the cleaning staff are responsible

• Tables and points of contact in rooms that are in use are cleaned twice daily,  e.g., taps, toilet flush buttons, toilet seats, table surfaces, door handles, refrigerator doors and handles, handrails, armrests, light switches, etc.
• Toilets must be cleaned at least twice a day.
• Garbage cans in hallways and toilets must be emptied before they are completely full, and at least once a day.
• Offices and lounges connected with the study programmes that have been approved for reopening will be cleaned once a day.
  
  

Cleaning, for which staff and students are responsible

• Hand sanitizers, disinfectants and disposable wipes are available to clean tables and contact points in the rooms approved for use. Wipe tables and contact points over when leaving the offices, meeting rooms and classrooms, etc., you have used.
• Keyboards, computer mouses and phones are to be cleaned daily using detergent and disposable serviettes. You must wash your hands before and after using the equipment.
• Do not share equipment, only use your own.
• Students are not allowed to remain in rooms during the breaks, as the rooms must be aired.
  
  

Assembly Ban

The assembly ban does not apply to teaching activities at higher education institutions in respect of activities that are already - or have been - allowed to reopen gradually.

Guidelines regarding larger gatherings, including parties, cafés or the like, must comply with the relevant health authority legislation.

Further information

You can find further information:

About COVID-19 at https://politi.dk/en/coronavirus-in-denmark - where the Danish authorities have gathered all information concerning the virus.  

The Ministry of Higher Education and Science: Q/A at ufm.dk 

The Danish Health Authority recommendations and FAQ.   

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It is the responsibility of management to assess these general guidelines in relation to the specific activities and physical environments that fall within their remit, and to ensure in dialogue with staff and students that they are applied and carried out within each department and course of study.

The local task force leaders must ensure that students have been clearly informed about what precautions especially vulnerable people should take, including who such students can contact within the institution in order to discuss their particular case.

Questions concerning the guidelines

If you have questions concerning the guidelines, you can contact corona@ucl.dk, your teacher, line manager, or the local task force leader. 

Here is a list of local task force leaders:

• Niels Bohrs Alle, Odense: Lenna Vogn Pedersen
• Seebladsgade, Odense: Gorm Max Guldmann
• Vestre Engvej, Vejle: Britta Bang Larsen
• Boulevarden, Vejle: Leif Bojesen
• Klostervænget, Svendborg: Janne Bryde Laugesen
• Stationsvej, Jelling: Annette Falk