Information from Örebro University on the coronavirus

During the period 3–24 November, remote teaching and examination will be conducted at Örebro University. The validity of the decision may be extended. We urge students to avoid spending time on campus unless they have in-person classes.

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.

 

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.

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.

 

The rule of a maximum of eight people applies here. This means that no more than eight people can be present in the lecture hall at the same time during the public defence. Consequently, most of the audience are not allowed at the venue but must participate online. As a result of the pandemic, it is not uncommon that both external reviewer and members of the examining committee participate online.

The guidelines and rules issued by the Public Health Agency of Sweden and other public authorities regarding the pandemic must also be complied with.

The rule of eight also applies to other types of meetings or events linked to the public defence, for example the refreshments afterwards.

Yes, that’s what we are planning for. Of course, it all depends on how COVID-19 spreads across the globe.

Students are currently permitted to enter Sweden and this opens up the possibility for exchange 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.

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)

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.

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.”

You must of course follow the instructions you get from healthcare and medical services. But we would also be grateful if you tell us without delay that you have tested positive by emailing our security office at . That way, we will be able to establish more quickly whether infection is spreading within certain groups at the university and if any extra measures need to be taken. This applies to both students and staff.

We are in touch with the contract tracing team at the hospital, but this way we will be able to take prompt action. It is also an additional safety measure to ensure that we stay on top of things.

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.

You can send your question to: