Dear Partners,
Please find here a letter from our Vice-Rector regarding online mobility, with a kind request for your support in-case teaching face-to-face is not possible by the end of the semester due to various restrictions.
If you require any further information, feel free to contact me.
With every good wish from Brno
Violeta Osouchová
Erasmus+ Institutional Coordinator
Dear Partners,
We would like to update you to regarding our current situation of COVID-19 novel coronavirus spread in the Czech Republic. Since our last message there have been some important updates.
As of March 11, 2020, there have been 64 confirmed cases reported in the Czech Republic. None of these cases are linked to our institution, Brno, or the region of South Moravia where our university is located. Yesterday, the Czech government’s Security Council and Ministry of Health announced new emergency measures. One of these is the temporary closure of all schools and universities in the country.
Given this fact, the Rector convened the Emergency Committee which decided to cancel all classes, in a preventative measure. Additionally, the Rector has decided to cancel all academic ceremonies and public events organized by Masaryk University. These measures are valid March 10 – 24, 2020.
All international students were informed duly about this decision and about necessary arrangements. Please note that this decision is a preventative one and we offer maximum support to all of our students (Czech and international) to show that their health is our top concern. Our international office will be operating during this time, but we will work distantly via email and phone. Our regular office hours are cancelled. Classes are suspended for personal attendance but may continue online or assignment based. This decision is up to each teacher of the course.
Faculties are closed but other university facilities such as dormitories, libraries, canteens, etc. are still accessible to the students, although some may function in a limited capacity or with some further restrictions. International students are of course allowed to stay in dormitories where disinfectants and other hygienic materials were distributed. Students are duly informed about necessary steps to take in case of any symptoms of the disease and we are ready to offer all necessary support – health, logistics, study-related – should there be any need.
Currently, we do not see any reason for your students to cancel their stay, but we are ready to help and assist if they decide to do so.
We continue to update our measures and any changes on the dedicated websites:
https://www.muni.cz/en/coronavirus
https://czs.muni.cz/en/news/86-coronavirus-en
Our faculty and university coordinators are ready to address any individual questions or requests from you or your students. We also have the emergency contacts available for the international students at our university:
1. E-mail emergency@muni.cz
2. Telephone, WhatsApp, Viber at 00420 777 44 86 86
Feel free to contact the Centre for International Cooperation at any time should you have any questions or concerns.
Best regards
Dear Partners,
Greetings from Masaryk University in the Czech Republic!
We would like to take this opportunity to keep you updated about the spread of the current COVID-19 novel coronavirus and about the situation in the Czech Republic. Please rest assured that we do not take the situation lightly despite the fact that the virus is not widespread in the country and our top concern is the health of our domestic and international students and staff. We would also like to share with you our measures and preventive steps taken in the light of current developments.
Situation in the Czech Republic
Up to March 3, 2020 there have been five confirmed cases reported in the Czech Republic. None of these cases are linked to our institution, Brno or region of South Moravia where our university is located. Public institutions are following guidelines and recommendations which come from the Czech government, national and local health authorities and we are closely following all official sources of information.
Even though Masaryk University has adopted some preventive measures, we cannot deny the possibility that the virus could affect our region and eventually our institution in the future.
Masaryk University situation and measures
Our team is constantly monitoring all domestic and international official sources and takes decisions based on this monitoring. Currently, all Masaryk University activities are continuing as usual and there has been no suspension of teaching activities nor administrative services. Of course, should the situation change in the future, we are ready to scale up our measures in order to ensure the safety & security of all students, staff members and general public.
For your information, we would like to share with you the measures adopted so far:
1. As our semester including orientation activities started on February 10, most of the international students have already arrived at the university and there have been no issues reported.
2. Our university has no central campus or housing facilities and we accommodate our international students usually in double-bed rooms at three of our dormitories. In the case of an arrival of a student from the affected areas, we can provide short-term separate accommodation for those persons in order to not put anyone in unnecessary discomfort or even danger. Indeed, information has been shared and posters in common areas for students informing them of what to do in case of any issues.
3. Students and staff travelling from the risk areas as identified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic (MFA) have been asked to postpone their arrival or, if that was not possible, to follow these preventive rules.
a. They should not attend classes or other university-related activities for 14 days after arrival in Brno and not visit common areas with a high density of people (such as canteens, libraries or university premises). Students will be granted study leave and staff home-office or leave of absence for the required period of time.
b. They should limit their non-essential social contacts and practice self-observation of their own health condition.
c. In cases of a fever or respiratory issues, they should follow the guidelines specified at our website and issued by the Czech Ministry of Health.
4. It is important to note that since our semester started earlier, these above-mentioned preventive measures have included only a few individuals until now and we are offering them the maximum possible support in their situation.
5. In case of the infection confirmed in any university-linked cases, we will be ready to adopt other measures such as online or other alternate means of teaching for students to continue their studies.
We are updating our measures on the dedicated websites:
https://www.muni.cz/en/coronavirus
https://czs.muni.cz/en/news/86-coronavirus-en
Based on the above-mentioned information and measures we want to inform you that MU is operating as usual in the spring semester of 2020. Although quite low, there is still a possibility that our activities may be affected in future. In such a case, we will inform students accordingly and will be at their disposal in case of any concerns or issues.
Our faculty and university coordinators are ready to address any individual questions or request from you or your students. We also have the emergency contacts available for the international students at our university:
1. E-mail emergency@muni.cz
2. Telephone, WhatsApp, Viber at 00420 777 44 86 86
Feel free to contact the Centre for International Cooperation at any time should you have any questions or concerns.
Best regards