Information from Örebro University on the coronavirus

Some teaching activities on campus are underway this semester, with some digital learning being offered. We need to make sure that there are not too many people on campus at the same time.

Most of the international master's programmes are being instructed online, while exchange programs (incoming and outgoing) were cancelled for the Autumn semester. 

Ultimately, Örebro University will always follow the recommendations of the Public Health Authority. If required, we are prepared to quickly go back to 100% remote teaching to reduce the transmission of the virus.

 

We are following the recommendations issued by authorities such as the Public Health Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are regularly making our own decisions, for example concerning business travel and student exchanges.

Until further notice:

• We are cancelling all international business travel and advise against business travel within Sweden.
• We recommend students and staff to minimise their travel nationally and internationally.
• All conferences at the university with international guests are cancelled.
• Also a number of other large-scale meetings will be cancelled, postponed or held digitally. 
• International visits by any larger groups are cancelled.
• All members of staff and students have been urged to wash their hands very carefully, not to cough and sneeze without covering their mouths or into their hands, and to stay at home if they are ill.

Örebro University is following advice from governmental authorities in Sweden, that have permitted certain higher education activities in Sweden to continue.

We appreciate that most countries around the world have taken drastic action to prevent further spread of coronavirus, and Sweden's approach can be seen as limited in comparison.

However, the Swedish authorities and health services have developed a strategy that is supported by most Swedes - it is designed to provide a balance between preventing spread and respecting the civil liberties of individuals.

For our university specifically, we believe that fully closing the university would have wide-ranging consequences for our students and faculty.

However, we have taken stronger decisions than required to safeguard our students within the Swedish regulations, and we will continue to closely monitor developments.

The Örebro Student Union has also taken measures and is following university recommendations.

Link to current opening hours (in Swedish)

Proprietors of campus amenities - shops, restaurants - will make individual decisions about how they will operate.

All international conferences organised by the university in the near future are cancelled.

All larger meetings will be cancelled, postponed or held digitally. 

International visits by any larger groups are cancelled.

The Örebro Student Union has also taken measures and is following university recommendations.

 

Information is provided regularly on ORU.se for active students - we will update this page regularly with new information when it becomes available.

 

Yes, that’s what we are planning for.

Students are currently permitted to enter Sweden and this opens up the possibility for international students to come to Örebro University. This applies to courses and study programmes at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels. The idea is to mix campus-based teaching and learning with online elements to reduce the number of people on our premises. The university will inform incoming students about the restrictions in place and the safety measures that apply in Sweden.

The university has decided that international master's programme can be taught on campus in the spring semester 2021, with "digital elements" incorporated. The individual faculties will be responsible for updating their students about how their courses will operate.

If you are already enrolled on an international master's programme/course and plan to study in the spring semester 2021, we advise contacting your programme director or study advisor to request more information.

If you need any support with housing, please contact our Housing Office directly.

Contact your programme supervisor/study advisor urgently so you can solve the problem together. The university can help provide access to a computer in one of the university’s computer rooms to help you continue studying.

Please remember to contact the school well in advance.

If you have booked single occupancy accommodation through our Housing Office for the spring semester 2021, but are not able to arrive in Sweden to commence studies, you can apply for a refund.

Contact if you have any queries about your accommodation.

The personal injury insurance that students are covered by during school hours/placement hours does not apply if you study or participate in online teaching activities at home. In the event of an accident/personal injury at home, students are referred to the cover provided by their own home insurance. 

For students covered by any of the following insurance policies – Student IN/FAS/FAS plus – and who are opting to stay in Sweden and participate in distance teaching activities, the insurance cover applies without any changes. If the student wishes to interrupt their studies or participate in distance teaching activities from their home country, any costs for travel back to their home country will not be reimbursed via the insurance. Nor is the student covered by any of these insurance policies from the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet) in their home country, even if they participate in distance teaching activities at a Swedish higher education institution. 

More information about insurance: www.kammarkollegiet.se/engelska/start

Great that you’re part of a mentoring programme! There are several at the University (such as Mentor Match), but right now they all share one thing in common – meetings will likely be a little different as a result of the corona pandemic.

If either of you are in a risk group then you should opt to meet digitally, and digital meetings are something all mentoring partnerships may wish to consider. If you do decide to meet in person then take always care and practice social distancing - and remember to follow the latest guidance from Sweden’s Public Health Agency.

The Centre for Academic Development has prepared a webpage with information on online teaching.

Information on online teaching

On Inforum (the intranet), there is a page with information on handling examinations.

Information on handling examinations (Inforum for employees)

For members of staff, there is a page on Inforum (the intranet) with information on equipment and software that you may need in order to work from home.

Information on working from home (Inforum for employees)

If anyone at home is showing possible symptoms or is ill, you need to stay at home. Either you will then work from home, alternatively, if you have a job that cannot be done from home, you will be at home with pay.

We urge anybody who is experiencing symptoms to stay at home.

Common symptoms are a cough, other respiratory symptoms and a fever.

For more information, visit the Public Health Agency of Sweden's website.

You can now call a national information number 113 13 – if you have questions about COVID-19.

This is the advice issued by the Public Health Agency:

A general precautionary measure against respiratory infections is to avoid touching your face and eyes, and to avoid close contact with persons who are ill.

Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water – before meals, when handling food and after visiting the toilet. If there are no hand washing facilities, using hand sanitiser is an alternative.

By coughing and sneezing into your elbow or a tissue, you prevent the virus from spreading around you and from contaminating your hands.

Stay at home when you are ill to avoid infecting people on the bus, at work or in any other situation where you are close to others.

Contact medical services and follow their instructions.

New rules have been introduced concerning the doctor’s certificate for sick leave. A doctor’s certificate is now not required until day 14 and onwards.

According to the Public Health Authority, the following applies:

 

“Most people with mild symptoms of infection get well within a couple of weeks, but for some it may take significantly longer to recover – it may take weeks or even months before they feel well again.

For people who have been severely ill and in need of hospital care, it usually takes a long time before they have recovered completely.

The disease affects people in very different ways and it seems that in some, vague symptoms may persist for a long time. For those with more severe infections, feeling very tired for a long time is common – even after the illness.

COVID-19 is probably the most infectious in connection with onset and at the beginning of the disease. Stay at home for at least seven days after you were taken ill. You must also have been well and without symptoms for two days.”

The university strongly recommends students and employees who are abroad for an exchange, placement or similar, to return to Sweden. The university will do everything we can to aid the situation for returning students and faculty.

To the best of our ability, we will work to admit students to courses that will reasonably fit into their study programmes.

If you are seconded abroad for a longer period of time, you may of course consider and decide to stay in your host country.

No international business travel is permitted until January 2021. This includes travel that has already been booked.

Travel within Sweden is not advised. (Travelling between the university and your home is not covered by this recommendation.)

Students and employees should aim to stay within the Örebro region where possible - digital meetings are recommended.

 

If you are concerned about the situation in Sweden and wish to consider returning to your home country, we advise that you contact your embassy representative to discuss options.

Many countries have taken measures to repatriate their citizens, but there is no clear guidance that applies worldwide.

International students are welcome to discuss the possibility of continuing study in the home country with their study advisors. International employees are welcome to discuss their individual situations separately with their supervisors.

 

COVID-19 is still spreading around the world. Virtual conferences will take place instead for the time being. Travel to and from other countries is advised against until further notice.

The is now a national information number 113 13 – if you have questions about COVID-19.

You can find more information on the following pages:

• Information from the healthcare hotline 1177 about COVID-19 (in Swedish but based on the information from the Public Health Agency)
• The most recent local information from medical services at Region Örebro County (in Swedish)
• Emergency information from Swedish authorities (krisinformation.se)
• Questions and answers about the coronavirus on the Public Health Agency's website
• Up-to-date information about the spread of the coronavirus on the Public Health Agency's website (in Swedish)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommendations (in Swedish)
• Up-to-date information about the coronavirus on WHO's website
• Updates from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

 

No international placements are permitted for the Autumn semester. We advise you to contact the person(s) in charge of your programme if you have a placement scheduled. The university is in constant dialogue with our placement partners, such as healthcare organisations and schools.

The university has, for security reasons, opted to apply summer opening hours on campus. There are relatively few people on the premises and we would like to reduce the risk of, for instance, thefts or damage to property.

You can send your question to: