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Dear friends and colleagues,

The situation regarding the spread of the coronavirus is obviously still very serious. There are also high infection rates in the federal state of Saxony. Thus, the state government has decided to tighten the health protection measures again starting next Monday. We will explain in detail what this means for our daily lives. This week we would also like to draw your attention to an online lecture series, a new publication series as well as to an event at Leipzig adult education centre. Our weekly newsletter closes with recommendations for an intercultural music concert and the 33rd European Film Awards. You still have the opportunity to register for the upcoming Screening Religion of the two-part documentary "Emperor Haile Selassie I. His burial and the Rastafarians in Shashamane" taking place on 16 December as online livestream. Just send an e-mail to multiple-secularities@uni-leipzig.de.

Enjoy and have a good - and healthy - week!

COVID-19 in Leipzig: Lockdown for Saxony planned from 14 December 2020 until 10 January 2021

Germany and Saxony like many other countries are increasingly affected by the coronavirus. In Leipzig, the 7-day incidence is 139.3 as of today. The situation is serious and, in order to contain the corona infections in Saxony, the state government wants to tighten health protection measures again from 14 December. Many of the rules from the first lockdown in March will come up again and also some tightenings. The second lockdown for Saxony is initially planned until 10 January 2021. The exact rules are to be announced on Friday, according to Minister-President Michael Kretschmer. We will of course keep you informed.

The measures shall include:

• Obligation to wear a face mask everywhere in public (on squares and streets, in residential areas ...) except when walking in the forests and doing sports.
• Closure of daycare centers, schools and after-school care facilities
• Partial closure of retail trade (still open: food trade and the sale of daily consumer goods, pet supplies, post and postal services, drugstores and pharmacies, hairdressers, banks and financial institutions, petrol stations)
• Entering nursing homes and hospitals only with a face mask and after a negative corona test or rapid test   
• Special rules for holiday period between 23 December 12 a.m. and 27 December, 12 a.m.: A maximum of ten people in a family can meet. Afterwards only five-persons from two households are allowed to meet   
• Hotels and accommodating facilities may, from 23 to 27 December at noon, take up guests who arrive and again depart for family reasons (social aspect of Christmas). Before and afterwards the already existing accommodation prohibition for tourists applies.
• Increased controls and presence of the federal police at borders with neighboring countries
• Increased controls of hygiene measures in the public and retail trade by public order offices and police

For Leipzig University and KFG activities this means, all university buildings remain closed to the public. Our colloquia and permanent staff meetings we will be holding exclusively in digital form for the time being.

In order to reduce traffic in our offices to a minimum we appeal to you to work from home whenever it is possible for you. If you come to the office, please comply with all safety measures. Of course, our coordination team will stay available to you and your questions despite possible absences due to home office. We continue to offer a daily virtual office hour between 1–2 p.m. where you can ask your questions to Judith Zimmermann or Lucy Frank via Zoom. The links can be found on the start page of our Member Area. You can of course still reach us via e-mail as well.

Thank you all for your support and let’s continue to take good care of each other!

Weekly lecture series "Religion and Urbanity Across Time and Space"

We would like to remind you of the lecture series on how religion and urbanity have interlocked historically, organised by the Max Weber Centre Erfurt. This series comprises a total of ten lectures, and among others a presentation by our Associate Member Marian Burchardt. On 15 December he will give an online talk called "The Berliner Utopia: House of One".

15 December | 6 – 7.30 p.m. (CET)

Online via Youtube

Bloomsbury Studies in Black Religion and Cultures

Our Junior Researcher Elisabeth Marx points to a new interesting series by the publishing house Bloomsbury: The "Bloomsbury Studies in Black Religion and Cultures" addresses the mutually constitutive nature of race and religion and the social, cultural, intellectual, and material effects of religio-racial formations and identities. The series welcomes projects that address and foreground the intersectional and constitutive nature of black religions and cultures and privileges work that is inter/transdisciplinary and methodologically intersectional in nature.

Livestream-Concert from St. Peter’s Church Leipzig with "Sounds of Hope" & "Sound Bridges"

There is plenty of hope also during these challenging times. On 13 December 2020 it is time to celebrate the 5th birthday of "Südcafé" - a meeting place for refugees and the neighbourhood in the southern suburbs of Leipzig - with a hopeful concert. Live from St. Peters Church Leipzig "Klänge der Hoffnung/Sounds of Hope" together with "Klangbrücken/Sound Bridges" from Dresden show their musical diversity. The two ensembles are a network that aims to bring musicians with and without an escape biography into contact with one another and to promote joint music-making. The musical guests from Dresden will be connected with video clips. The entrance is free, donations are welcome.

13 December | 7.30 p.m.
Online via Livestream on YouTube

33rd Virtual European Film Awards 8 - 12 December 2020

Presented as a series of virtual events, this year’s European Film Awards (EFAs) are taking place every evening from 8 to 12 December 2020 virtually, celebrating the nominees and winners of the various categories of the 2020 European Film Awards.

The entire programme will be streamed live and through an international network of streaming and broadcasting partners, with the nominees and winners joining via live video conference. You’ll be presented a wide range of impressing documentaries, features and short films from many different European countries such as the Polish-French production "Corpus Christi", nominated for Best European Film, Director, Screenwriter and Actor.

EFA Blog

If you have any content that you think suits the purpose of the weekly, please feel free to send it to us at multiple-secularities@uni-leipzig.de.