The Royal Danish Academy: Internal Newsletter

Dear Everyone

Most of you have probably heard about the current COVID-19 situation in Denmark today where the infection rate is trending sharply upwards.

Therefore, the Government is intensifying its efforts by introducing new precautions to reduce the transmission rate in Copenhagen and 38 other municipalities. These new precautions enter into effect from Wednesday 9 December and up to and including 3 January 2021. Bornholm is still exempt.

Like all other public and private organisations, we must once again reorganise our activities within a short time to help dramatically reduce transmission. Therefore, we hope all of you will understand the situation, and we urge everyone to work together to comply with these new precautions.

New precautions at the Royal Danish Academy from 9 December 2020 up to and including 3 January 2021

Educational activities

• All educational activities (with the exceptions described below, however) will be conducted digitally.

Employees

• Basically, all employees are to work from home.
• Critical functions may be exempt, such as workshop, Campus Service and IT staff: make arrangements with your immediate supervisor.

Researchers

• Physical attendance is possible only if the research activities specifically require physical attendance, such as conducting experiments involving living organisms.
• Research/artistic research requiring physical attendance must be assessed together with the local head of the institute and, as a general rule, is to be postponed until after 1 January.

Pick-up

• Employees and students may pick up personal possessions until Tuesday 8 December at 4 pm.
• Please be considerate of others and avoid crowding. Remember: please use hand sanitiser and wear a face mask.
• If you are quarantining, you may contact Campus Service to arrange pick up your things once you have tested negative.

Building closures

• Alarms will be activated and access cards will be shut off on 8 December at 4.00 pm. Employees with errands after this must make specific arrangements with the Campus Service before you may get access.

Workshops

• Workshops are closed with the following exceptions:

• Graduating students who will be taking exams in January or February may, by way of exception, book up to two days a week. Book times by sending an email to mala@kglakademi.dk.
• Selected critical research/artistic research projects (involving living organisms, for instance).
• Sales of materials, borrowing of equipment and MakeAway according to a specific agreement with the workshops (laser cutting, 3D printing, CNC milling, etc.). Send an email specifying your needs to mala@kglakademi.dk.

IT Help Desk

• Open weekdays for everyone, but appointments must be booked in advance.

Library

• The library will be open Monday–Friday, 9 am – 4 pm, when books may be returned and borrowed, and a librarian will be available for advice and guidance in a ‘channelled-flow’ library.
• Public access to the library will be suspended.

Cafeteria

• The cafeteria and café are closed until further notice.

Meetings

• All meetings, internal and external, must be held online.

Social events

• All social events are still cancelled.

Foreign students

• Many foreign students will have difficulty travelling home to their families for the holidays. Fellow students are urged to be particularly attentive to them in this situation.

The most recently applicable guidelines will be extended after 3 January up to and including 28 February

Concurrent with these new precautions, the currently applicable national precautions are being extended until 28 February 2021. Therefore, we base our planning on the continuance of the current guidelines for the Royal Danish Academy into the new year. In all probability, physical presence will not be allowed on campus before 1 March. In the event that the restrictions are relaxed, we currently assume that this will be to the level we had just begun, i.e. with the option of physical attendance one day a week for most students.

Specifically, this means the following:

Educational activities

• All educational activities will probably continue to be online in January and February.
• Workshop access is expected to be minimal.
• Interdisciplinary modules in February are planned to be 100% digital.

Exams

• All exams will be digital throughout January and February.
• Graduation exams in architecture and design are exempt from this and will be conducted with physical attendance.
• Graduation bachelor exams in design are exempt from this and will be conducted with physical attendance.

Possibility of COVID testing at a mobile testing unit in Copenhagen

The health authorities urge all young people in Copenhagen aged 15–25 to be tested before Christmas. A number of different testing sites in the City of Copenhagen provide testing without having to book an appointment. See where and when the mobile testing unit will be near you.

The testing centres are open every day of the week including weekends 10 am – 4 pm. Remember to wear a face mask and, if you feel sick, stay home and contact your own GP.

Opening hours: kl. 10 – 16                               

Øksnehallen, Halmtorvet 11, København V: den 5. – 18. december

Københavns Erhvervsakademi,  Guldbergsgade 29E København: den 5. - 11. december 

Birkedommervej 43, Kbh. N: den 5. - 11. december

Krudttønden, Serridslevvej 2, 2100 København Ø: den 12.-18. december 

Københavns Universitet, Søndre Campus, Njalsgade 76, København S: den 7. - 11. december

Københavns Professionshøjskole, Campus Carlsberg, Humletorvet 3, København V: den 7. - 11. december

Nørrebrohallen, Nørrebrogade 208, København N, (indgang fra Den Røde Plads): den 12. - 18. december 

Kind regards

Lene Dammand Lund, Jakob Brandtberg Knudsen, chairman of Task Force 2 for Safe Reopening, and Lise Møller Eriksson, chairwoman of the AMO organisation.