Which security measures are in place at Campus WU?

What is considered "proof of a low epidemiological risk" and how long are these proofs valid?

Considered to be proof of a low epidemiologic risk (in Latin script in German or English or in the form of a certificate pursuant to Section 4b (1) of the Epidemic Act 1950 (EpiG), Federal Law Gazette No. 186/1950 (as amended)):

1. Tests:

• Antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 taken by an authorized institution => valid for 24 hours - VALID ONLY UNTIL 30.09.2021!

• PCR tests (molecular SARS-CoV-2 tests, like Alles gurgelt!) for SARS-CoV-2 => valid for 48 hours

  • Certificate according to § 4c Epidemic Act 1950 (EpiG), Federal Law Gazette No. 186/1950 (as amended)

  • Proof of an authorized institution

  • Proof according to § 3 Z 8 of the COVID-19 school regulation 2021/22 (Corona test passport)

2. A recovery certificate pursuant to Section 4d of the Epidemic Act of 1950 concerning an infection with SARS-CoV-2 survived in the last 180 days or a physician's confirmation of an infection with SARS-CoV-2 survived in the last 180 days that has been confirmed by molecular analysis.

3. A vaccination certificate pursuant to section 4e of the Epidemic Act 1950 concerning a vaccination against COVID-19 given with a centrally licensed vaccine:

• Second shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, administered not more than 360 days previously and with a period of at least 14 days between the first and second vaccination

• Vaccination with a one-shot vaccine received at least 22 days but no longer than 270 days ago

• A vaccination received at least 21 days after a positive molecular SARS-CoV-2 test result or a vaccination received after obtaining proof of neutralizing antibodies; in such cases, the vaccination must have been received no longer than 360 days ago

• An additional vaccination administered not more than 360 days previously, and with a period of at least 120 days between this vaccination and a vaccination as described above

4. An International Vaccination Certificate pursuant to Article 36 in conjunction with Annex 6 of the International Health Regulations (2005), Federal Law Gazette III No. 98/2008 as amended by Federal Law Gazette III No. 182/2016, in which one of the vaccinations listed in item 3 is entered.

5. A quarantine notice, if issued for a person who has proof of contracting COVID-19 in the 180 days prior to the required test.

6. Evidence of neutralizing antibodies for a period of 90 days.

Test results & proofs shall include at least the following information:

1. First and last name of the individual tested
2. Date of birth
3. Type of proof, type of test if applicable
4. Date / period of validity
5. Name of the issuer (e.g. institution, doctor)

What is considered a "centrally authorized COVID-19 vaccine"?

At WU, only vaccines approved in Austria/EU are currently accepted:

• Comirnaty (BioNTech and Pfizer)

• Spikevax (Moderna)

• Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca)

• COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)

Immunizations with all other vaccines (e.g., Sputnik, Sinopharm) are not valid proofs, which means that these students must continue to bring other valid proof (e.g. test, antibody proof).

What happens if I am caught in a WU building without (valid) proof?

Persons who cannot provide (valid) proof of a negative Corona test on request must leave the building immediately.

What vaccination and testing options are available in Vienna?

As of September 21, 2021, you can get vaccinated directly at the campus WU. Click here for details!

Here you can find all information about the Corona vaccination in Vienna and the current test offer of the city of Vienna as well as in the federal states (in German only).

What should be considered in the auditoriums / classrooms?

Courses & exams at the WU campus can be held again without distance. The In-house Contact Tracing will be carried on, thus all seats are labelled with numbers. Please do not re-arrange seats or remove labels under any circumstances.

The labels:

• blue = seat for class attendance

• pink = seat for exams (especially for examination week)

What general, personal hygiene measures should be used to protect yourself against COVID-19?

You often can’t avoid touching surfaces, books, or attendance lists, so general hygiene measures to protect yourself against COVID-19 are particularly important:

• Wash your hands frequently => you will find hand disinfectant dispensers in the entrance area of each building and all sanitary facilities are equipped with disinfectant soap.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

• Use good respiratory hygiene and always cough and sneeze into the crook of your elbow or a tissue, which should then be immediately disposed of.

• Disinfection stations in all buildings with classrooms => in addition to increased cleaning in all buildings, wipes and disinfectant sprays are available to clean your individual workstation.

I am uncertain and have questions about the coronavirus. Who can I contact?

If you have general questions about the coronavirus, please call 0800 555 621 (AGES/Österreichische Agentur für Ernährungssicherheit) – This hotline is available 24/7.

More information about Covid-19 in different languages can be found on the website of the City of Vienna.

I suspect that I have the coronavirus, what should I do?

In this situations please do NOT come to campus, stay at home!

• If you are experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough, trouble breathing, sudden taste or smell loss or are regarded as suspicious for other reasons, stay at home and call the 24/7 hotline 1450 or your general practitioner.
  If you are not at home, go straight home, wearing a mask over your nose and mouth, and call 1450 or your general practitioner.

• Follow the instructions of the telephone health service hotline and do not come to Campus WU until your case has been cleared up. Please report the suspected case to us at potential-covid@wu.ac.at.

  • If the test result is negative please let us know by e-mail.

  • If the test result is positive, please let us know using the COVID-19 notification form linked here and stay at home for the duration of the period recommended by the health authority. Please inform your course instructors. 

For reasons of public interest in the area of public health, WU reports any cases of infection or suspected cases to the public health authorities and is obligated to provide information to the public health authorities upon request. (see Data Protection Statement)

I have been identified as a level I or level II contact person, can I come to campus WU?

Level I contact persons who are placed under quarantine by the authorities are not allowed to come to the WU campus or to participate in courses and exams on campus during the quarantine period ordered by the authorities. Similarly, persons who have been informed by WU that they were exposed to a high risk of infection during a course/exam are not allowed to come to the WU campus or participate in courses and examinations on campus either. This applies for the duration of the corresponding quarantine period or until the person in question receives a notification from the authorities that assigns a different classification to them. Please contact your course instructors.

Level II contacts are not quarantined. The authorities merely inform them about measures for protecting themselves and others against infection. If such persons are not ordered to stay at home by the authorities, they have to fulfill all attendance requirements for their courses/exams.

Level II contact persons and everyone who has been informed by WU that they were exposed to a low risk of infection in the context of a course/exam are additionally, during the 14 days from the date of contact with the COVID infected person:

• required to wear an FFP2 mask during the entire course/exam and in all locations on Campus WU

• urged to take a PCR test as soon as possible and at least every 3 days. This applies regardless of vaccination status and especially if COVID-19 symptoms occur.

Here we have listed some helpful links about Corona vaccination for you:

• General information

FAQs in German language
FAQs Foreign language

• Information on registration by federal state

Make your decision for a Corona vaccination in consultation with your physician!

• Our goal: To be able to identify, notify, and isolate contacts at WU quickly in the event of an infection of a student or teacher with COVID-19, i.e. positive test (in cooperation with the relevant health authorities)

• Your contribution:

  • Check-in in each course and exam (confirm attendance and enter seat number)

  • Reporting to WU if you have a positive test result (link to the reporting form & our Data Protection Statement)

What is Contact Tracing?

If someone is infected with COVID-19, whether they have symptoms or not, the health authorities use contact tracing to find the people the infected individual interacted with in the 96 hours before the onset of symptoms or, if there are no symptoms, 96 hours before the individual was tested. Contacts are designated as level I (high risk exposure) and level II (low risk exposure). (Document in German only)

What is WU Check-in?

The WU Check-in is a web application, to indicate your attendance as well as your exact seat at on campus courses/exams. More information and FAQs can be found on this website.

Why are attendance and seating records being kept for all courses and examinations?

If someone who has attended a course/examination becomes infected, this attendance data is used to facilitate contact tracing. WU is also obligated to provide this information to the health authorities (§ 5 [3] of the Austrian Epidemics Act [Epidemiegesetz 1950]).

If no data from the WU check-in is available (attendance & seating), no risk assessment can be made. Therefore, we have to pass on the status of unchecked-in persons as "unclear" to the health authority; the authority decides on further steps.This means that if seating and attendance data are not accurate, even people who may not have been in the classroom at all might have to bear the consequences. 

In courses without compulsory attendance, these attendance records are kept only for the purpose of contact tracing and have no influence on your grade. Our Data Protection Statement is available here.

According to the current security measures, teaching will take place on WU campus. Details about the specific courses can be found in the course catalog (VVZ).

What should be considered in the auditoriums / classrooms?

Courses & exams at the WU campus can be held again without distance. The In-house Contact Tracing will be carried on, thus all seats are labelled with numbers. Please do not re-arrange seats or remove labels under any circumstances.

The labels:

• blue = seat for class attendance

• pink = seat for exams (especially for examination week)

• Student lounges, independent study areas and project rooms are open for you again - booking of the project rooms is possible from mid-September for dates as of October 1, 2021.

• The PC labs in the LC building are currently open during operating hours only.

How are examinations currently held at WU?

• Exams and other types of performance assessment can be held both on campus and online. Please inform yourself in the VVZ, in the syllabus on LEARN or with your course instructor in which format a specific exam is held.

• The large-scale exam weeks of the winter semester 2021/22 are hybrid scheduled, you can already find the exam schedules on our website (in German only).

What types of online exams will WU be holding?

All information about online exams at WU can be found clearly summarized on the Online Exams website.

Are there test runs for written examinations in the online examination environment?

Basically, we offer you the opportunity to test changes and innovations within the online testing environment on MyLEARN - however, test runs cannot be offered on an ongoing basis. Details and dates can also be found on the online exams website.

Where can I find further information on grants or study law issues in the current situation?

Please use the collection of FAQs of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (currently only available in german language).

Information about opening hours as well as current services and relates events of the library can be found directly on their website.

When are rental lockers available again?

Your next opportunity to rent a locker will be in September and October 2021. If you are interested in renting a locker, please send an email with your name and student ID number to dauerspind@wu.ac.at. We will then send you an email with the relevant dates and further information about the assignment of rental lockers to students.

Are the service units on Campus WU open?

You are welcome to contact departments and service units in person.

In the future, many service units will combine the advantages of both formats (online / on-site) in their services. Please check the websites of the individual units in advance: 

• Study Service Center (SSC)

• IT Services Support Center

• WU ZBP Career Center

• International Office

• Library

Of course, you are still invited to contact the service units by e-mail.

Tip:

Many important administrative procedures are accessible from home by using the Online Services for Students. In addition to re-registering for the semester, you can also download digital documents (transcript, enrollment information sheet, enrollment confirmation, etc.).

How can I pay the ÖH dues/tuition fees online?

You can also re-register for the winter semester 2021/2022 via online bank transfer, click here for more information.

Many important administrative procedures are accessible from home by using the Online Services for Students. In addition to re-registering for the semester, you can also download digital documents (enrollment information sheet, enrollment confirmation, transcript, etc.).

When do the next graduation ceremonies take place?

You will find information about the upcoming dates on these web pages:

• for Bachelor graduates




• for Master graduates

Specific information for incoming and outgoing exchange students can be found on the International Office website.

For questions regarding programs of the WU Executive Academy, please get in touch with the respective Program Managers. Click here for the contact details.

Links & hotlines

(in alphabetical order)

Federal Ministries

• Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research

• Federal Ministry of the Interior

• Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health Care and Consumer Protection

Health (Please only call if there is an emergency, not if you have general questions)

Domestic violence (services are anonymous and free of charge)

General support and mental health

Website for voluntary alternative civilian service (for voluntary, former "Zivildiener")

Website for information on the Austrian militia or extending your military service

Federal Student Aid

This information applies only to Austrian citizens and is available only in German. Please see the German version of this page.