Back on campus: that is also the motto of the Austrian universities. However, the conditions for students are stricter than in Germany. While some universities are using 3G, others are already using 1G – this has sparked a nationwide debate.
For three semesters, students in Austria did not see the inside of the premises on campus. That should change for the coming winter semester. A prerequisite for this, however, is a comprehensive protection concept. Austria’s Minister of Science, Heinz Faßmann, therefore appealed to the students’ sense of responsibility a week ago. “Your personal contribution to this is to get vaccinated in good time before the start of the semester,” was the appeal from top representatives of universities and the Austrian student body in one.
“Vaccination is and remains the best remedy for the corona pandemic at the moment. That is why a high vaccination rate is required on the part of teachers, students and researchers,” said the Ministry of Education at the request of the stern with. According to the Ministry of Health, 54 percent of 15 to 24 year olds are currently vaccinated. However, the vaccination rate among students in all of Austria cannot be determined.
No internship without a vaccination
Each university can decide for itself how the universities deal with vaccinated and unvaccinated people and which corona protective measures apply. As the Ministry of Education announced, most universities have opted for the 3G rule after the latest changes to the 2nd Covid-19 University Act. Anyone wishing to take part in face-to-face classes or exams must either have a negative corona test, be vaccinated or have recovered. In Austria, however, only those who have already had both vaccination appointments are considered vaccinated. “In this case, partially vaccinated students would have to be able to show a valid negative corona test if the respective university or college has 3G,” says the Ministry of Education.
The rules at the medical universities in the country are stricter. The Medical University in Graz has introduced the 2G rule, in Vienna and Innsbruck the 1G rule even applies. Decisive for this “compulsory vaccination through the back door”, as it is called by the Vice President of the Medical University of Innsbruck, Professor Peter Loid, is not the decisions of the universities. At the beginning of their medical studies, students would have to complete internships in hospitals. In the past few weeks, compulsory vaccinations for medical personnel have been introduced in several federal states.
“For our students this means: They have to be vaccinated, otherwise they cannot complete the mandatory internships in the hospitals,” says Loidl. The only exceptions are people who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons. The compulsory test applies to them.
Vaccinated between 80 and 95 percent of freshmen
However, he does not fear that the number of students could decline because of the strict regulation. “The places in medical studies are always fiercely competitive. Anyone who has gone through the admissions process and is offered a place will accept it.”
Loidl is also optimistic about the vaccination quota. Anyone who accepts the study place must upload proof of vaccination online. So far, 80 percent of freshmen have been vaccinated. In Vienna it was almost 95 percent. The University of Innsbruck plans to immunize unvaccinated people in an “in-house vaccination campaign”. In Vienna, those affected receive vouchers for Impfstraße.
The same applies to students from abroad who have been vaccinated with a vaccine that is not approved in Austria. According to the Ministry of Health, the vaccines from Moderna, Astrazeneca and Biontech / Pfizer are currently recognized. Anyone who has been vaccinated with Sputnik V but would like to study medicine in Austria will subsequently be immunized again with one of the approved vaccines. However, these are isolated cases.
The 3G rule still applies to teaching at universities without patient contact. If the pandemic situation worsens, university operations can also be switched to 1G immediately, said the Medical University of Vienna.
Debate about 1G at Austrian universities
In August, directors from various universities, including from Klagenfurt and Salzburg, spoke out in favor of tightening the corona regulations on campus and toyed with the idea of only admitting vaccinated students to face-to-face events. The 1G rule is easier to control, so the argument goes. Education Minister Faßmann considers this proposal understandable in view of the desire for more face-to-face teaching. There are no legal concerns, but Faßmann is critical of the implementation and instead continues to advocate a systematic 3G rule.
There was headwind from university representatives and politics. The rector of the university in Linz told the Austrian television broadcaster ORF: “I believe that it makes a huge difference whether you make access to night gastronomy dependent on 1G or 2G, or whether an educational offer that young people depend on is dependent on it that they are vaccinated makes you dependent. These are two fundamentally different things, and they should be kept apart. “
The liberal party Neos also rejects a 1G regulation at universities. Those who have recovered should not be excluded. On the other hand, it is more important to strictly control evidence.
Sources: , , ,
