General COVID-19 guidelines for the autumn
The university’s preparedness team convened on 4 June to decide on general guidelines that would be valid starting from 9 August, assuming that Uusimaa and the Helsinki region would move to the baseline phase of the pandemic.
If the situation makes a significant turn for the worse, or if the area is in the acceleration phase at the beginning of autumn, the restrictions will stay similar to what they are at the moment.
The same familiar principles that have ensured safety so far will most likely be enforced also at the beginning of the autumn term: if a person has any virus symptoms, they must stay off the campus, testing is crucial if any needs occur, people must maintain a safe distance to each other in the facilities, good hygiene is imperative, and face masks are used.
We will update our guidelines and instructions on the first week of August.
Summary of the guidelines:
- We will keep the entrance doors to our buildings open according to our normal opening hour practices.
- In teaching, we will switch over to contact teaching in one-to-one and small-group instruction. Lectures will be taught remotely.
- Participants can be welcomed to attend public gatherings, such as defences and examinations of doctoral dissertations and events of artistic activities, in accordance with the valid regulations on gatherings defined by the Regional State Administrative Agency.
- Customer facilities, such as restaurants, galleries and the library, have no limits to the number of visitors, but the hygiene requirements as defined by the Communicable Diseases Act must be taken into consideration.
- Due to the traffic still caused by renovation work as well as moving arrangements, the university recommends remote work in August, but otherwise it is possible to return to work on campus as agreed individually with the supervisor. Meetings are recommended to be held remotely.
- No work or study-related trips abroad are made. Hosting international guests is possible with a special permission from the dean and in accordance with the Finnish entry regulations.
- Leisure-time activities of groups can be arranged with 50% of the normal room capacity.
General COVID-19 guidelines as of 9 August
Use of facilities
We will keep the entrance doors to all of Uniarts Helsinki’s buildings open starting from 9 August according to our normal opening hour practices. A personal access key is no longer needed to enter the buildings.
Studies
Contact teaching that is organised in the university facilities will be primarily one-to-one or small-group instruction. Lectures will still be taught remotely.
The recommended room capacity is 50% of the normal number that can be found in the room-specific details in Peppi. However, to determine how many people can safely use a specific room, the following things must be considered: the purpose that the room is used for, the shape of the room, the furniture in the room, and which instruments are used, for example. If the group is bigger than the recommended maximum number of people in the room, the general rule is to try to find a larger room for the group.
The academies will make a separate decision on arranging teaching in a big group of over 50 participants (e.g. orchestra teaching) when it is absolutely necessary, and the safety guidelines for teaching will have to be considered.
Unnecessary close contacts should be avoided in all teaching, and everyone must follow the university’s safety guidelines.
Public defences and examinations of doctoral dissertations
Participants can be welcomed to attend public defences and examinations of doctoral dissertations in accordance with the valid regulations on gatherings defined by the Regional State Administrative Agency. The possibility of remote attendance must also be taken into consideration when organising events.
Artistic activities
As regards artistic activities, outside attendees can be welcomed in the audience of performances and concerts in accordance with the valid regulations of the Regional State Administrative Agency.
There are no limitations to the number of visitors to Uniarts Helsinki’s galleries, but everyone must follow the hygiene requirements in accordance with section 58 c of the Communicable Diseases Act.
We will update our restrictions on audience attendees and safe distances in customer facilities at the beginning of August.
Library
There are no limitations to the number of customers in the library, but everyone must follow the hygiene requirements in accordance with section 58 c of the Communicable Diseases Act.
We will update our guidelines on safe distances at the beginning of August.
Restaurants
There are no limitations to the number of customers in restaurants, but everyone must follow the hygiene requirements in accordance with section 58 of the Communicable Diseases Act.
We will update our guidelines on safe distances at the beginning of August.
Other work
We are about to move to new facilities, and this autumn, we will learn how to work in new facilities and partially with new people on the Sörnäinen and Töölö campuses. In addition to these changes, we will also learn how to make use of the experiences we gathered during the pandemic in the future.
We recommend the staff to continue working remotely in August due to relocations and renovation work, if it possible given each employee’s work duties. After this, we hope that working will be possible both on campus and remotely.
Meetings are recommended to be held remotely. Organising meetings with over 50 participants indoors is not allowed.
In principle, no events with invited guests are organised.
Travelling and hosting visitors
Hosting foreign visitors will continue to be possible if the dean has granted a special permission for the visit (as regards the shared units, the permission is granted by the vice rector in charge of the unit) and if the Finnish entry regulations allow it and if it is especially critical in terms of the operations.
Due to the pandemic, the general global recommendation is to avoid unnecessary travelling. The virus situation in several countries is much worse than in Finland. That is why members of the Uniarts Helsinki community cannot make work-related or study-related trips abroad for the time being.
Work-related trips in Finland are allowed if the supervisor of an employee has proposed the trip and the dean of the academy (or as regards the shared units, the vice rector) has then granted their permission for it. Students’ trips for educational purposes are also allowed if the dean has granted a special permission for it.
Restrictions concerning travelling and hosting visitors will be reviewed in the light of the prevailing international situation and legislative amendments in Finland at the beginning of August.
Leisure-time activities
Leisure-time activities of groups will be allowed in our facilities starting from 9 August. Only 50% of the normal room capacity can be used when considering the participant numbers, however.
Leisure-time activities of individuals are allowed in our facilities in accordance with the opening hours of our buildings and room booking and access rights.
Opening hours of buildings and mail delivery during the summer
Töölö campus
28 June–1 August Mon-Fri from 8:15 to 16:00
An attendant is on duty, on site, in all buildings
2 August–15 August Mon-Fri from 9:00 to 16:00
Attendant services are available in all buildings
as of 16 August
Mon–Fri from 8:00 to 20:00, on Sat from 9:00 to 16:00, closed on Sundays
An attendant is on duty, on site, in all buildings
Attendants’ phone number: 029 447 4401
Sörnäinen campus
Kookos
28 June–1 August Mon-Fri from 8:00 to 18:00
An attendant is on duty on site
as of 2 August
Mon-Fri from 8:00 to 20:00
An attendant is on duty on site
Attendants’ phone number: 0400 792 007
Elimäenkatu
until 24 June
Mon-Fri from 8:30 to 16:15
No attendant will be on duty during the summer; contact the Kookos attendants in case of inquiries.
Attendants’ phone number: 0294474406
Mail delivery during the summer
As of 28 June, mail addressed to the Töölö campus will be delivered to the M Building, and the mail addressed to the Sörnäinen campus will be delivered to Kookos. Contact an attendant to inquire about deliveries. If you want to send mail during that time, take your mail to a public mailbox.
Normal mail delivery will be resumed on 2 August.
Repair work in the R Building facilities between 21 June and 16 July
Repair work is scheduled for the R Building on the Töölö campus from 21 June to 16 July 2021. The roof of the building will be painted and repair work will be done inside the facilities. Working hours will be from 8:00 in the morning to 16:00 in the afternoon.
During the repairs, some of the facilities will have to be closed from other use. Check the closing details and renovation schedules of the facilities on Artsi (sign in with your University login).
Service personnel will begin work in a new work environment in September 2021
Uniarts Helsinki’s work environments on the Sörnäinen and Töölö campuses will be developed actively in 2021. Various facility solutions and mobile work methods have been discussed as part of the campus development project, and changes in the facilities and moving arrangements will be carried out in the summer. We recommend the service personnel to continue working remotely in August, if it possible given each employee’s work duties.
We will update our service practices and publish more detailed information in August. There may be changes in the service hours and practices of the academic affairs personnel, for example. The university may continue adopting the practices that have been found useful during the pandemic, such as pre-scheduled meetings.
More information on moving, the new facilities, details of the new work environment and joint guidelines will be published at the beginning of August on the Uniarts Helsinki campuses page on Artsi (sign in with your University login).
You can contact Jessica Aaltonen, Katariina Kivistö-Rahnasto and Inka Sankari to learn more about the workplace project.
- More information is available from an Artsi news article (sign in with your University login).