Activities under COVID-19 at AGRO

We are now in the sixth week of the shutdown of our university and we can look forward to at least two more weeks. In principle, the Government has closed all public institutions physically except those considered to perform critical community functions. We do not belong to this group, in general, research is not considered to be socially critical, but that does not mean that we are completely shut down in AGRO. We have a special role in relation to the future of our society, which is why we still carry out critical activities in the field, laboratory, semifield and greenhouses.

The activities in question are:

• Conducting experiments and preparation of experiments in the field, where the alternative is that an entire year's data lost.
• Conducting sampling for monitoring where data series maintenance is critical and/or where instrument monitoring is required.
• Maintenance of critical plant and animal populations.
• Analyses of critical plant, water and soil samples that will be lost if the analyses are postponed.

These activities are required to be conducted in accordance with the Guidelines for Critical Work Tasks at AGRO During COVID-19. (Link to the Guidelines).

All activities must be approved by the management. If you have any doubts, contact your closest leader.

The Government has announced that it will open up the use of research laboratories, but it is still unclear what this will mean for the activities of AGRO. This is expected to be resolved in the coming week.

Office facilities

During the shutdown period, the offices will generally be closed and no office cleaning will be carried out. Access to offices must take place for a short period of time (up to about 20 minutes), primarily in connection with retrieving material, uploading data or performing data processing. All access to the offices must be agreed with the Section or Operations Manager. Only in very specific cases can access be given to the use of offices for office work due to critical individual considerations, and only the Head of Department can grant access. When using offices for both short visits or office work, Guidelines for Critical Work Tasks at AGRO During COVID-19 must be observed.

Compliance with guidelines is important

It is imperative that the Guidelines for Critical Work Tasks at AGRO During COVID-19 are adhered to. Both in relation to the risk of infection for the employees, but also for our reputation in dealing with this socially critical situation. If in doubt, contact your nearest leader. And remember that all activities must be approved by the management.

A gradual reopening of laboratory research - perhaps as early as this week

In light of the Prime Minister's announcement Friday morning, a partial reopening of research laboratories for researchers and students will now be possible. It is clear from the statement of the Prime Minister that the gradual reopening must be done responsibly and that guidelines that apply to all universities must be agreed. Through the chairmanship of the Danish Universities, Aarhus University is already entering into a dialogue with the Ministry of Education and Research on the common guidelines. As soon as common guidelines are in place, a message will be issued via the department heads on how to approach the reopening locally - hopefully by the middle of this week. Until then, everyone must continue to work from home as before. Earlier Friday, an orientation has gone out via the departments.