The Vrije Universiteit Brussel starts the second semester in code red. This means that a limited number of activities are possible on the campuses. Lectures will remain digital, but essential practicals and tutorials will take place on campus according to the applicable security measures. For first-year students, and for certain crucial programme components, practice sessions and booster classes may be organised where possible.
These measures apply until relaxation of safety measures is possible. This depends on various factors: the decisions of the federal, Flemish and Brussels authorities; the evolution of the Covid-19 infection rates; the outcome of the vaccination programmes; and consultation with UZ Brussel, which has a good insight into the situation in Brussels and the pressure on the healthcare system.
Rector Caroline Pauwels: “The first semester of 2020-2021 is coming to an end. The January exams are coming up. This is happening in circumstances that we all regret. We will also start the second semester in the same way. This is very frustrating but necessary. Meanwhile, the prospects are more hopeful, yet the only certainty is that Covid-19 will not disappear from our lives straight away. On the other hand, thanks to science, we know more and better every day how to control the virus. The vaccines are on the way. There is a prospect of appropriate medication. But it is also important to persevere now and not to lose the progress we have made in recent weeks. That is why we have chosen to give students clarity about this right now. This clarity also gives calm and perspective. For the coming period, it is important to help each other. It is only together, and thanks to science, that we know how we will get out of this, and that we will persevere. Scientia vincere tenebras.”