So, as before, all students will be expected in Maastricht, without the one-point-five metre distance but maybe with – should the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and Environmental Protection (RIVM) require such – facemasks, self-tests, walking routes and staying at home if you have symptoms. Some faculties will also enforce the compulsory attendance again. Those who cannot travel to the Netherlands because of COVID-19 (where possible, the UM writes in a press release) may follow the lessons online. Catching up on practicals can be done later.
Employees
Employees can return to the ‘office’ from the start of the new academic year. Although they may partly still continue to work from home. The plans for hybrid work are in the make.
PhD ceremonies are already taking place on campus at the moment (with a maximum of fifteen attendees). That will continue to be the case. Whether the number of visitors will increase, depends on the RIVM regulations. The RIVM’s advice is also leading when it comes to inaugural lectures, symposiums and farewell speeches after the summer.
Inkom
Whether the Inkom - the introduction week for first-year students which will start on Monday 16 August – is allowed to take place in its former setup, seems unlikely. Certainly judging by the maximum size of groups which will most likely still apply in August. The university wrote in a press release: “Regarding the Inkom, rules are that all activities will be organised in such a way that they are safe and sensible, within the regulations, and can take place on location.”
The same applies to the faculty introductions that have been planned for the last week in August, immediately after Inkom. Here again, large groups are involved. Chances of certain parts taking place online, the UM states, seem likely.