ETH rules on compulsory COVID certificates

When the new semester kicks off on Monday, all students attending teaching events in person as part of their Bachelors’ or Masters’ course must be in possession of a valid COVID certificate. In other words, anyone who has recovered from COVID, has been vaccinated or recently tested – and has the certificate to prove it – may attend any of the events listed in the Course Catalogue. This measure will ensure that all ETH rooms can operate at full capacity. As an additional safety precaution, everyone must continue to wear a face mask in all teaching events and as a general rule in all indoor spaces, and should also leave as much space as possible between other people.

Several vaccines recognised

Over the past few days, several outstanding issues have been resolved and today the ETH Executive Board has implemented the necessary measures. The university not only recognises the Swiss certificate, but also any COVID certificate issued by EU member states as well as proof of jabs with any vaccines on the WHO list on the FOPH website, including AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Sinopharm. Anyone given these vaccines may attend a teaching event in person, as long as the certificate is issued in one of Switzerland’s official languages, or in English.

Various test options

Anyone unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons, for example, can go for an antigen test. From Monday at least until the end of September, a free rapid antigen test will be offered on both the ETH campuses in Zurich (Zentrum: HG D64.1; Hönggerberg: HPI D8.3). The test result is valid for 48 hours. The coverage of the costs for these tests in October is currently being clarified. Another way for ETH members to gain access to teaching events is through the internal ETH test programme (CovMass). This is a non-invasive PCR saliva test whose results are valid for 72 hours and is available to all ETH members free of charge.

External stewards will be on hand to monitor compliance by performing random checks on certificates. ETH members will have to show not only the certificate, but also a valid personal ID or ETH card. Anyone without a valid certificate, proof of jabs or proof of a PCR test will be barred from attending a teaching event in person.

Certificate requirement extends to libraries as well

Anyone using library spaces, joining a guided tour or visiting ETH Zurich collections and exhibitions in separate rooms adjoining the library (e.g. the Graphische Sammlung) must also be in possession of a valid COVID certificate and wear a face mask as well. Here too, the certificate requirement effectively means that rooms can operate at full capacity. The only exceptions are displays and exhibits in areas accessible to the public, where other protective measures must still be followed (face masks, physical distancing).

Different arrangements for catering facilities

As in all gastronomy establishments in Switzerland, a COVID certificate is required to visit all the dining facilities that are still open to external guests (e.g. Clausiusbar, Dozentenfoyer, Alumni Lounge, Bellavista). On the other hand, no certificate is needed in the large catering facilities on Hönggerberg campus (food market, FUSION coffee, FUSION meal) and on Zentrum campus (Polymensa), which are treated as internal canteens where only ETH members are admitted. All guests must show their ETH card and register at the cash desks using the ETH Code Scanner both on entering (check-in) and leaving (check-out) the restaurant. The current status of both gastronomy and retail services on both ETH campuses can be found on the gastronomy website.

New master plan to be published next week

As the introduction of the certificate requirement in all teaching events and in some catering establishments brings a number of changes, a new master plan is being drawn up and will be published next week on the coronavirus website. You can already read about the main changes compared with the current master plan on that website.