Coronavirus: Master plan phase 3.3.4 - (effective 18 January 2021)

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Coronavirus: Master plan phase 3.3.4 - (effective 18 January 2021)
Coronavirus: Master plan phase 3.3.4
(effective 18 January 2021)
Master plan, Version 8
ETH Zurich Executive Board, Zurich,
23 April 2020 Basic plan (Version 1)
06 May 2020 updates            effective 11 May 2020 (Version 2)
02 June 2020 Phase 3.2.1       effective 08 June 2020 (Version 3)
17 July 2020 Phase 3.2.2       effective 03 August 2020 (Version 4)
18 August 2020 Phase 3.3.1 effective 31 August 2020 (Version 5)
16 October 2020 Phase 3.3.2 effective 19 October 2020 (Version 6)
30 October 2020 Phase 3.3.3 effective 02 November 2020 (Version 7)
15 January 2021 Phase 3.3.4 effective 18 January 2021 (Version 8)
Master plan phase 3.3.4   2
General rules and key parameters for Phase 3.3.4 (from 18 Jan 2021)

Summary of the most important measures
Teaching
    •  Some examinations will be sat in person. The relevant instructions will be sent in advance to those concerned.
    •  Teaching will be almost exclusively online. Classroom teaching will be restricted to teaching events and student assignments which require the use of
       the infrastructure or other specific facilities on site.
     • Excursions should be avoided if possible unless they are an essential part of the curriculum. If undertaken, all regulations must be observed regarding
       inward/outward journeys, stopovers and meals (see also the information sheet Guidelines for planning and conducting excursions).

Compulsory wearing of face masks
  • The general obligation to wear face masks indoors and outdoors still applies.
  • Masks must also be worn in the workplace, unless there is only one person in the room. This rule applies to Open Space offices as well. Masks must
     also be worn in vehicles with more than one person.

Working from home
  • ETH members must work from home, as long as the nature of their work allows for this with proportionate effort and expense. The only exceptions
      are operational necessity, experimental work in research, teaching and spin-off companies.
  • ETH Zurich follows the guidelines of the Federal Ordinance on Measures to Combat the Coronavirus and does not offer compensation for anyone
      working from home (such as electricity or telephone costs, share of rental costs).

Building closures
   • University buildings will remain closed from 18 January 2021 onwards, except for the Main Building/MM.
   • The library is still open for borrowing books, as is the InfoCenter. The reading rooms for magazines and newspapers are closed.

Additional measures
   • The ETH Zurich Executive Board advises any ETH members with symptoms to be tested for COVID, even if the symptoms are mild. (The federal
       government will pay for tests ordered by a doctor, by the contact tracing team or via the SwissCovid app). If the test is positive, they should follow the
       instructions of the contact tracer and the cantonal medical service or contact coronateam@ethz.ch (staff) or infolehre@ethz.ch (students).
   • A maximum of 4 people per table may sit together in the university catering facilities and a distance of 1.5m must be kept between them.
   • Only people with a connection to ETH will be allowed into the university catering facilities.
   • All events are banned in principle.
   • Guided tours are no longer permitted indoors or outdoors.
   • Gatherings in public spaces must not exceed 5 people.

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1. General remarks
•   Phase 3.3.4 runs from 18 January until the end of February (provisionally). Further action will be decided over the course of February,
    taking into consideration all the relevant data and conditions set by the authorities.
•   The rules imposed by the federal and cantonal governments, especially those regarding physical distancing and hygiene, continue to
    apply to all ETH members.
•   The current master plan supplements the overarching regulations with rules specific to ETH.
•   As regards the permitted number and physical proximity of people attending ETH, the basic rule is: maintaining a distance of at least
    1.5m between people, 10m2 space per person in offices, 4m2 per person in meeting rooms. This is assuming that the meeting cannot be
    held online for operational reasons. Separate rules apply to teaching events, as set down in the safety protocol for teaching.
•   The classification of vulnerable people belonging to a high-risk group can be found in the COVID-19 Ordinance 2, Annex 6.
•   All members of ETH Zurich are expected to conduct themselves responsibly outside the university as well.
•   The ETH Zurich Executive Board recommends ETH members with symptoms to be tested for COVID, even if the symptoms are mild.
    (The federal government will pay for tests ordered by a doctor, by the contact tracing team or via the SwissCovid app). If the test is
    positive, they should follow the instructions of the contact tracer and the cantonal medical service.

2. Building access
•   ETH buildings are closed. Access is permitted using an ETH card.
•   Exceptions include the Main Building /MM (counter services and library), buildings housing catering facilities and those buildings open
    temporarily for conducting in-person exams.

•   Full details are published on the ETH homepage.

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3. General rules to be followed by all ETH members
Physical presence on the campus
It is imperative that physical presence at any facility on campus does not carry a risk to personal health and that no situations can arise in
the public areas that could put personal health at risk due to the density or duration of contact with other people.

To achieve this, the following rules must be strictly observed:
• Wearing a face mask is obligatory in all indoor and outdoor spaces on campus, including Open Space offices. Masks may only be
   removed during sole occupancy of a separate office or when seated at a canteen table.
•   Each individual is responsible for providing their own face mask. Where face masks are required for work, they will be supplied by the
    organisational units in question.
•   Even when wearing face masks, the rules on physical distancing and hygiene still apply in full.
•   Spontaneous gatherings of more than five people in public spaces are banned in principle.
•   In the case of people arriving at university facilities, the responsible academic or administrative departments will make the necessary
    arrangements in accordance with the rules on physical distancing and hygiene. For example, waiting areas should be designated and
    clearly signposted at service desks. Signposting in arrival, departure and waiting areas must be respected.
•   To avoid potential bottlenecks, outdoor spaces should be used as extensively as possible.
•   Flexible timing of groups of people helps to avoid peak times for arrivals, departures, mealtimes, individual sports, etc.
•   No personal contact between groups unless required due to operational procedures. This mainly relates to mealtimes and breaks. A
    “group” is an organisationally discrete entity such as a professorship, a section within an administrative department, etc.
•   Internal spaces should be ventilated as often as possible.

Working on site
•   As a rule, all ETH members must work from home where this is feasible given the nature of their work.
•   The only exceptions are operational necessity, work in workshops, experimental work in research and teaching at ETH, as well as in
    collaboration with industry, including spin-offs.
•   When in the workplace, ETH staff must always observe the applicable rules on conduct and hygiene stipulated by the Federal Office of
    Public Health (FOPH) and the rules on maximum office occupancy.
•   ETH Zurich follows the guidelines of the Federal Ordinance on Measures to Combat the Coronavirus and does not offer compensation
    for anyone working from home (such as electricity or telephone costs, share of rental costs).
•   Persons belonging to high-risk groups and/or in specific risk situations should agree individual arrangements with their supervisors.
•   Occupancy of labs and workshops should be controlled with the help of rotas and shifts.

Master plan phase 3.3.4                                                                                                                          5
Room occupancy
•   The following rules apply to all ETH offices, workshops and laboratories:
     •   Every occupied workstation must have a designated office space of at least 10m² per person.
     •   A minimum distance of 1.5 metres must be kept between two occupied workstations.
     •   Masks must be worn as soon as there is more than one person in the room.
     •   Every room where there is more than one member of staff working at the same time should be ventilated for 5 to 10 minutes every
         hour by opening any windows.
•   All departments and research groups that regularly occupy their offices must draft a written safety protocol which they communicate to all
    members of staff – and in the academic departments, it must be communicated to the departmental management as well. Supervisors
    are responsible for ensuring compliance with this protocol, which if necessary may also include plans for the rotation or occupancy of
    rooms, especially for open-plan offices and laboratories.

Meetings
    Meetings should be conducted online as a rule. If a physical meeting is necessary for operational reasons, the following rules apply:
•   Meetings are only allowed with face masks. This also applies to bilateral meetings such as HR meetings and consultations. Masks must
    still be worn when there are protective acrylic screens in place (added protection).
•   A minimum area of 4m² must be designated for each person attending a physical meeting. The maximum occupancy of all the meeting
    rooms that can be booked is clearly marked on their doors. If these details are not provided, the faculties or departments responsible for
    the meeting rooms will calculate and display the maximum occupancy.
•   Meetings should be kept as short as possible and never last more than 1½ to 1¾ hours. After every meeting, or in breaks during a
    meeting, the room must remain empty for 15 to 30 minutes and be well ventilated by opening any windows.
•   Participants must clean all desk surfaces at the start and end of each meeting.
•   Organisational units with their own meeting rooms are responsible for ensuring these rules are followed.
•   Where meeting rooms are used as seminar rooms, the teaching regulations apply.

Events
•   Events and guided tours are no longer permitted indoors or outdoors.

Master plan phase 3.3.4                                                                                                                      6
4. Teaching
Exam and teaching activity in Spring Semester 2021 (effective 18 January 2021)
       • Teaching will be almost exclusively online. Classroom teaching will be restricted to teaching events and student assignments
         which require the use of the infrastructure or other specific facilities on site, for example lab courses, certain exercise groups,
         Bachelor’s and Master’s theses, semester projects and design studio work and sport practicals. Performance assessments can
         also be conducted in person on campus. All these arrangements will be subject to protective measures on physical distancing,
         hygiene and room occupancy (in accordance with the Safety Protocol).
       • The key elements are:
        • Lectures will be held online.
        • In the case of classroom teaching, room occupancy is limited to 50%.
           •     The rules for holding performance assessments, including the performance elements and the course units with semester
                 performance are set out in the COVID-19: Measures with regard to teaching (Autumn Semester 2020 and Spring Semester
                 2021).

Wearing face masks during classroom teaching
Face masks must always be worn during classroom teaching and when sitting exams. The rules are set out in the safety protocol for
teaching. Some examinations in the forthcoming exam session will be sat in person. The relevant instructions were sent directly to those
concerned.

Trips abroad by students and receiving guest students
See point 5 "Student travel".

Vocational programmes: general rules to be observed by all those in vocational training or apprenticeships
               • The company vocational training courses can continue at ETH Zurich (as recommended by the “Mittelschul- und
                 Berufsbildungsamt“ of the Canton of Zurich).
               • Trial apprenticeships as part of the career choice process are possible, subject to compliance with the specified rules.
               • The regulations described above in the section “Working on site” apply equally to all trainees and apprentices (as recommended
                 by the recommendation of the government task force "Perspektive Berufslehre").
               • Where infrastructure and on-site presence is necessary for teaching purposes (especially teaching laboratories and workshops,
                 rotating places), operational presence is permitted subject to compliance with the rules. In this case, however, the amount of
                 presence should be reduced as much as possible.
               • For rotating positions subject to remote working rules: To enable the university to fulfil its educational mandate and to meet the
                 students’ objectives, apprentices and trainees should attend the ETH workplace at least once a week wherever possible. It is up
                 to the apprentices/trainees and their teams to organise themselves in a way that gives them access to the learning environment
                 in the workplace.

Master plan phase 3.3.4                                                                                                                          7
5. Journey to work, parking, travel, excursions
Journey to work, parking
•   Staff should travel to and from their place of work in a way that minimises the risk of infection as far as possible. Face masks must
    always be worn in public transport (including the Polybahn and ETH Link) in accordance with the general regulations of federal and
    cantonal authorities. People belonging to a high-risk group are advised to wear an FFP2 face mask.
•   The usual parking charges apply at ETH Zurich. In cases of hardship (especially vulnerable persons with face mask intolerance),
    supervisors can apply for parking charges to be refunded after consulting Traffic Management.

Business and private travel
•   All inbound/outbound foreign travel is subject to government regulations and the rules outlined in the relevant ETH information sheet.
•   For the sake of general protection, travel should be restricted to the absolute minimum necessary.
•   Before travelling, ETH members must familiarise themselves with the current risk situation and travel restrictions applicable to foreign
    countries on the one hand, and on the other hand be clear about the current rules on entering the country and the quarantine situation
    when returning to Switzerland.
•   When entering Switzerland from countries or areas with a higher risk (according to the list published by the government and the infection
    level at the time of travel), they must enter a ten-day quarantine period and report their arrival to their canton of residence within two
    days. Supervisors must also be informed. When returning to the workplace, staff must always wear a face mask.
•   For business trips to countries with a higher infection risk, ETH members must always carefully weigh up the benefit and risks of their
    journey. If possible, the trip should be delayed until the risk no longer exists. Business trips that cannot be delayed to countries or areas
    with an increased infection risk (in accordance with the "COVID-19 Ordinance on International Passenger Transport Measures") require
    the approval of the supervisor and the consent of the employee. In addition, all the declarations described in the ETH internal information
    sheet must be provided.
•   Foreigners entering Switzerland from high-risk countries or regions are subject to the provisions set out in Art. 3 of the COVID-19
    Ordinance 3
•   Trips abroad taken as holidays are the individual responsibility of the employee. They must assume the risk of having to self-quarantine
    on their return and the respective period of absence must be booked as holiday or reduction of overtime if they are unable to work
    remotely from home.

Master plan phase 3.3.4                                                                                                                        8
Student travel
•   All inbound/outbound foreign travel is subject to government regulations and the rules outlined in the relevant ETH information sheet.
•   An exchange at one of ETH Zurich's partner universities is only possible at a limited number of universities within Europe. The exchange
    is arranged through the Student Exchange Office.
•   Trips abroad organised by the students themselves for study purposes (mainly Master’s theses, practicals, visiting students, etc.) are at
    the individual student's own risk and responsibility. Students are advised not to travel to high-risk countries or regions in the list specified
    in the COVID-19 Ordinance 3 as well as to countries or areas with a higher infection risk as set out in the COVID-19 Ordinance on
    International Passenger Transport Measures) (see also the federal government's information for travellers and the ETH internal
    information sheet). No contributions will be made to travel costs.
•   Students travelling to Switzerland from a country or area with a higher infection risk in order to start a study programme, project or
    internship, or to take examinations at ETH Zurich, are subject to a 10-day quarantine period. After that, they must always wear a face
    mask both outdoors and indoors when on campus.
•   Regular visiting students (attending study programmes) will not be admitted for the Spring Semester 2021.
•   Where visiting students are invited, the professorships in question will make the final decision, although restraint is advised.

Excursions and retreats
•   Excursions should be avoided if possible unless they are an essential part of the curriculum. If undertaken, all regulations must be
    observed regarding inward/outward journeys, stopovers and meals (see also the information sheet Guidelines for planning and
    conducting excursions).
•   Overnight stays are only permitted if single rooms are available for each person.
•   Retreats are not permitted due to the safety protocols for closed rooms.

Master plan phase 3.3.4                                                                                                                            9
6. Gastronomy and services, ASVZ
•   Current details of catering services available on the Zentrum and Hönggerberg campuses can be found on the Gastronomy website.
    • Masks must be worn in all catering facilities.
•   Face masks should only be removed for eating once seated at a table.
•   No more than four people are allowed to sit at a table, and they must keep a distance of 1.5m between them.
•   The relevant supervisors on site in the gastronomy and retail areas are responsible for ensuring that
    • the measures set out in the safety protocols are observed,
    • the regulations of the public authorities and ETH Zurich are respected at all times.
•   If a tighter degree of control is required, security personnel will be deployed (e.g. from Securitas).
•   All ASVZ sporting activities will be held online. Details are available on the ASVZ website.

7. Contact tracing
•   It must always be possible to ensure tracing of close contacts at work. Mixing between different research groups and sections within
    administrative departments must be generally avoided.
•   If there is an outbreak of COVID-19, contact tracing will be performed by staff of the cantonal medical service, who may also order
    temporary closure of specific facilities if an infection is discovered. The relevant guidelines apply for ETH staff and ETH students for the
    communication of illness, managing close contacts and supporting contact tracing. In case of uncertainties or possible delays in the
    cantonal medical service getting into contact, ETH staff should contact coronateam@ethz.ch, and students infolehre@ethz.ch.
•   The Executive Board strongly urges all ETH members to use the SwissCovid App as an additional tracing instrument.
•   At every meeting, the minutes must record a list of all internal and external participants, as well as the duration of the meeting. If no
    minutes are taken, a list of all participants must still be made. This is the responsibility of the person chairing the meeting.
•   In labs and workshops, a logbook should be kept recording occasional and exceptional occupancy.
•   Any organisational unit inviting external visitors must keep a list with their names and contact details (email address or telephone
    number).

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