As an institution dedicated to scientific study, WU explicitly supports vaccination as an effective and sustainable means to combat the pandemic. In view of the low vaccination rate in Austria and the uncertainty as to whether further mutations of the COVID virus will spread by the fall, WU remains in favor of general compulsory vaccination. The COVID-19 Vaccination Act passed by parliament and the trust that it would be implemented consistently were the basis for WU’s plan to put into place a 2G rule in the summer semester to ensure full on-campus operations. Feedback from WU students and staff has shown that there is broad support for the 2G rule in the WU community.

WU needs legal certainty for planning ahead

Now far-reaching steps to relax COVID-19 restrictions will be taken in Austria as of March 5, and the implementation of the general compulsory vaccination requirement may also be delayed. “The people who work and study at our university need certainty for planning ahead. It is extremely difficult to change teaching schedules during the semester given the sheer size of WU. Currently, registrations for courses and exams are ongoing and both students and faculty need to be able to plan accordingly. We have therefore decided to suspend the introduction of the 2G rule at WU for the time being and to start the summer semester under the 2.5G rule that is currently in place,” says Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger.

2.5G certificates required for access to WU buildings

For students and employees who are neither vaccinated nor recovered, this means that participation in courses and examinations and entering WU buildings is still possible with a negative PCR test result (valid for 48h). WU is currently assessing potential further relaxations of Covid restrictions. The approach WU will be taking for organizing the next winter semester will be announced in good time, based on the assessments of the development of the pandemic that will be available by then.