After a year and a half of limited operation, Comenius University dormitories are entering a new season with the determination to keep their gates open for as long as possible. The results of the survey on vaccinations of residents arouse optimism, and experience with measures from last season should also help.
In two weeks on September 2, students will gradually start coming to the accommodation facilities. Most students stay until September 20, when the academic year begins at Comenius University in Bratislava (UK).
Dormitories are ready for this season. In addition to generally applicable anti-epidemic measures such as wearing drapes or respirators indoors, canceling larger events or increased hygiene and disinfection of common areas, dormitories have allocated 10 percent of accommodation capacity for the purpose of isolation rooms. Visits to non-residents will be prohibited at boarding schools. Visits between guests will be allowed for the time being, but the number of people in one room must not exceed the number of beds. There will also be a ban on gatherings, the number of people in a group inside and outside the complex is limited to six. The night room is still valid between 22.00 and 7.00.
Dormitories do not yet find out or check whether the accommodation is vaccinated or not. In the event that Bratislava passes the level of Vigilance risk (according to the so-called COVID vending machine), the dormitories will follow the OTP scheme. This means that only persons who will be fully vaccinated according to the decree of the Public Health Office of the Slovak Republic under no. 240, tested (test result not older than 48 hours in the case of the antigen test, 72 hours in the case of the PCR test) or overcame COVID-19 in the last 180 days.
However, Comenius University has reasons for optimism about further waves of the disease. During August, she conducted a survey among students who have been staying in her accommodation facilities since September. According to the results, at least the first dose of the vaccine is vaccinated by 82 percent of respondents, and another 14 percent plan to be vaccinated by the beginning of the 2021/22 academic year. More than half of the students who were allocated accommodation for this year took part in the survey."The results of the survey are the hope that after three semesters of distance learning and limited dormitory operation, we can manage the situation. During a pandemic, it is difficult to predict anything with certainty and the development of the situation is influenced by many external factors. It is likely that we will have another turbulent semester ahead of us, in a combination of online and full-time teaching, and the situation may change over time. However, in the interest of our students as well as teachers, I hope that we will be able to do it and this time we will not have to switch to distance learning in full, “ says the rector of Charles University Marek Štev?ek.
Comenius University in Bratislava is the operator of several dormitories. The largest of them are the University City of ?. Štúra - Mlyny and Vysokoškolský internát Družba with an accommodation capacity of approximately 8,500 beds at full operation. Other dormitories with a lower capacity are operated by the university in Bratislava, Martin and Nitra.
