Audience restrictions in artistic activities are lifted with immediate effect, the university returns to contact teaching on 28 February
According to the latest information that we have received from the Ministry of Education and Culture, we will be able to end the recommendation on remote teaching and return to contact teaching starting from 28 February. Until then, we will be in a transitional phase during which we will plan our teaching arrangements for time after 28 February
We will not let go of remote teaching as a teaching form completely, and it remains an important option as part of our multi-modal teaching strategies. That is why it is important to identify the situations when there are pedagogical grounds to utilise opportunities that remote and multi-modal teaching bring also in the future. The academies may establish more detailed guidelines and recommendations on the matter.
As for staff, the recommendation on remote work will end on 27 February, after which we can return to applying the practices of hybrid work.
On Friday, 11 February, the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland decided to lift all existing restrictions on gatherings in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa starting from Monday, 14 February 2022. This means that we can remove the requirement of using only 50% of the maximum capacity of venues in public events with over 50 people. We no longer require leaving an empty seat between audience members in areas with audience seating, but we recommend doing so if it is deemed necessary in order to ensure health security when considering the size and air conditioning efficiency of the performance venue. We will also continue following familiar safety measures, and the most important measures include wearing face masks and taking care of hand hygiene.
If the pandemic situation gets worse for one reason or another, we may have to update our guidelines on short notice. You can find all the latest COVID-related guidelines in the main news article on Artsi. The article is updated regularly.
A summary of the changes:
- The university will return to contact teaching starting from 28 February. Remote teaching is still recommended when it is pedagogically well-justified and reasonable in terms of the attainment of the intended learning outcomes.
- Starting from Monday, 28 February, we will return to working in accordance with hybrid work practices.
- Guided exhibition tours and campus visits can be arranged starting from 20 February.
- Audience restrictions in artistic activities are lifted starting from 14 February.
- The maximum numbers of visitors in our galleries at the same time will be raised, and the maximum number of people at Project Room is now 20, while the number at Kuva/Tila is 40.
Uniarts Helsinki’s COVID guidelines
Teaching
The current recommendation on remote teaching is valid until 27 February.
Starting from Monday, 28 February, we will return to contact teaching, but we recommend that remote teaching is still utilised when it is pedagogically well-justified and reasonable in terms of the attainment of the key competence requirements. Remote teaching will continue to be an important part of the university’s multi-modal teaching strategies and a way to prevent the risk of infections.
Artistic activities
In artistic activities, we follow the decision of the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland to lift the restrictions on gatherings starting from 14 February. Starting from this day, Helsinki campuses can organise audience events with over 50 participants without following the requirement of using only 50% of the maximum capacity. We no longer require leaving an empty seat between audience members in areas with audience seating, but we recommend doing so if it is deemed necessary in order to ensure health security when considering the size and air conditioning efficiency of the performance venue. We will also continue following familiar safety measures, and the most important measures include wearing face masks and taking care of hand hygiene. Further information on performance arrangements is available from the academies’ production teams.
The maximum number of visitors in the galleries at the same time is 20 people at Project Room and 40 people at Kuva/Tila.
Public events to be arranged in the Kuopio and Seinäjoki Units or elsewhere outside the Uusimaa region will follow the regulations that are valid in the region. Further information on performance arrangements is available from the academies’ production teams.
Other work
We recommend our staff to work remotely if it is suitable in terms of their work duties. The remote work recommendation is in force until 27 February. However, staff can talk to their supervisor and agree to work on campus on some days or the whole week already before this date, in case it improves their occupational wellbeing or concentration in work.
Starting from Monday, 28 February, we will return to working in accordance with hybrid work practices.
On-site, hybrid or remote meetings are all possible starting from 28 February, and meeting participants can decide their participation method depending on their schedule and location. Teams will follow the policies that they established in autumn 2021 in workshops where they learned about the distributed working model.
Guided walks and tours on campus
Guided exhibition tours can be arranged in the university’s galleries starting from 20 February. However, it is important to make sure that the number of simultaneous visitors at the gallery does not exceed the limit.
Guided campus tours can be arranged for up to 20 people at a time starting from 20 February.