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Press Release on19^th March 2020

In order to contribute to the protection of all members of our university and their families and in order to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, the University Executive Board and Crisis Management Team, in coordination with the state government, have decided to activate TU Dresden’s emergency operations mode, starting at midnight during the night from Friday to Saturday.

The Rector of TU Dresden, Prof Hans Müller-Steinhagen, describes this decision as the most difficult one of his professional life and appeals to all members of staff and students to remain calm, level-headed, and to follow all instructions issues by the university regarding the emergency operations.

In order to enable the continuation of teaching without the need for attendance on site, all lecturers are requested to provide online resources for the start of the summer semester, if possible.

In order to be able to carry out the tasks that will continue to arise as swiftly as possible, and to be able to resume normal operations as smoothly as possible after the emergency operations mode has been lifted, all members of staff are request to work from home, as far as this is possible.

In a circular letter to all members of staff and students, the Rector informed all members of the university about the emergency operations and thanked them for their understanding in light of this extraordinary decision: “I am convinced that we as the TU Dresden family will master the challenges with prudence and our renowned team spirit. I hope to see you all back soon and in good health to resume normal university operations.”

The emergency operations mode has the following implications for all members of staff and students:

• All TU Dresden facilities are closed.
• With the exception of the named persons (incl. contact details) nominated to safeguard the emergency operations by the University Executive Board and the Heads of the Structural Units, all members of staff are released from fulfilling their duties on TUD premises. Salaries and remunerations will continue to be paid. Staff not nominated for emergency duties are prohibited from entering TUD premises or their on-site offices. Wherever possible, the work is to be done remotely. All members of staff must be available by telephone or email so that they can be assigned tasks when necessary. This ensures that salaries (wages, remunerations) will continue to be paid in accordance with their respective contracts.

• Only activities that are absolutely indispensable will be maintained on TUD premises (administrative tasks necessary for operations, feeding of laboratory animals, care of system-critical infrastructure, etc.). The basic services of the Central University Administration and ZIH will be maintained.

Media inquiries:
Kim-Astrid Magister
Tel.: +49 351 463 32398; +49 172 7999468
E-Mail: pressestelle@tu-dresden.de