Coronavirus: Current Measures and Recommendations

Dear Colleagues and Staff Members,

The on-campus operations of the University of Mannheim have been possible in a restricted form for about two weeks now. We are pleased that meetings and events can also generally be held on-campus again, if the hygiene policy and the coronavirus decree are observed.

In order to support you in planning and conducting on-campus events and meetings in the current situation, the task force created a guideline with the most important information on procedures and regulations when conducting events. You can find this guideline enclosed to this e-mail. Please take note that the outlined regulations must be observed and that all rooms for on-campus events must be booked via the Service and Marketing GmbH until the beginning of the lecture period on 28 September 2020. 

By working together in these difficult times and by adhering to the regulations and the hygiene policy of the university, we all help to keep infection rates low in our region and to avoid another period with severe restrictions.

Kind regards,

Barbara Windscheid
Executive Vice President

The guidelines for conducting events on campus can be found on the intranet.

You can find the cleaning policy on the intranet.

1. Class room teaching remains suspended until the end of the current semester. Whenever possible, courses will be continued in digital form.

2. On-campus classes, also those that have started already, are being canceled or, if possible, continued in digital form. This applies to classes for students as well as for other types of courses such as training for teaching personnel and staff members, choir and orchestra practices, and the sports program of the university. Mandatory internships, such as in the industry, that are not taking place at the university, can be continued. However, the continuation of the internship depends on the respective employer of the intern. 

3. The maximum number of people that are currently allowed to assemble within the university buildings and premises is adapted according to the current Corona Ordinance (CoronaVO) of the Land of Baden-Württemberg. The current version of the CoronaVO determines that a maximum number of 20 people are currently allowed to assemble within the university buildings and premises during internal university events, gatherings and meetings (CoronaVO, as at June 10, 2020). The regulations to protect employees from infection and the regulations laid out in the hygiene policy must be observed.
   Meetings in the context of research activities and job interviews may be held in person, provided that no more than the maximum number of people allowed in accordance with the CoronaVO take part and the general hygiene regulations are observed.
   Meetings of university bodies should still be held digitally wherever possible.
   Other events, especially sports or cultural events, are subject to the current version of the CoronaVO and must be approved by the President’s Office. Please note that the public and students are still not allowed to enter university buildings. Exceptions to this rule are visits to the library, participation in examinations and approved events.

4. Provided the general hygiene regulations are observed, access to all university buildings will be possible again for employees as of May 18. The public and students are still not allowed to enter the university premises (with the exception of library visits, examinations, and approved events).

5. Partial re-opening of the University Library: For members of the University of Mannheim and visitors lending in the Schloss Westflügel Library is possible again with some restrictions. Access to the digital media and services will continue. The subject libraries A3 and Schloss Ehrenhof open to students and staff members of the University of Mannheim with some restrictions from Monday, 18 May 2020. A seat booking is mandatory. The libraries A5 and Schloss Schneckenhof (BWL) remain closed. Required media from these libraries can be used in the A3 Library. Find more information on the website of the University Library.

6. The university administration, institutions responsible for infrastructure and other units remain operational. Studying, research and teaching activities are to be continued as far as possible in order to avoid hardship for the persons affected. However, personal appointments with employees of the university can no longer take place face to face. In case of concrete questions or need for advice, please contact your advisor via e-mail. Of course, you can agree on other ways of communication such as telephone or video conference.
   All employees of the university – with the exception of so-called “systemically important persons” (see no. 8), especially those responsible for security and IT operations – shall work mainly from their home offices. Unless there are important reasons to the contrary, such as childcare, they must be available by telephone during their regular office hours and check their official e-mails several times a day, but at least once. This also applies, when you received a leave of absence. This is the only way we can ensure that all employees receive all necessary information on the current developments.
   In the few cases where working from home is not an option, we ask the responsible superiors to grant their employees a paid leave of absence for the period of emergency operations. The extent of the leave of absence must then be documented. For more information, please see the website of the human resources division: http://dezv.uni-mannheim.de/intranet/Aktuelles%20zum%20Corona-Virus/Freistellung/
   Employees who belong to the at-risk group are to work from home exclusively. If this is not possible, employees are to reduce their accrued overtime before they receive a paid leave.
   Due to the exceptional situation, working from home can be approved by your superior alone and, until further notice, does not need additional approval from the human resources department. The approval may be recalled by your superior at any time.
   Moreover, employees need to be reachable in their home offices. Office phones can be forwarded to private lines. During this exceptional period, work from home may be completed in the hours from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

7. As it is in the interest of the students, the university will hold planned examinations under consideration of the current risks as far as possible. For examinations given by the university, the following procedures apply:
   It is the goal of the university, that all students of the spring semester 2020 can complete their examinations and that no student is at a disadvantage due to the current situation.
   Solutions have also been found for state examinations (teaching and state law examinations). For all postponed examination dates new dates have been found, which were communicated directly to the students.

8. Due to the worldwide travel warning issued by the Federal Foreign Office, the ban on business trips to non-EU countries will also be extended until August 31, 2020. Please find further information on business trips to all other countries here.

9. Elevators may only be used by one person at a time and should only be used by people with reduced mobility or to transport heavy loads.

10. All members of the university are asked to observe the recommendations of the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) for educational institutions. (https://www.infektionsschutz.de/fileadmin/infektionsschutz.de/Downloads/Merkblatt-Bildungseinrichtungen-Coronavirus.pdf, in German ).

11. The university is updating its measures and plans continuously and informs its members and the public comprehensively at short notice. We urgently ask all members of the university to check the website www.uni-mannheim.de/corona and their e-mail at least once a day in order to receive new information.

12. The Studierendenwerk Mannheim adapts individual measures and communicates them individually. Further information can be found on: www.stw-ma.de 

(as at June 19, 2020)

Dear Colleagues and Staff Members,

In the last weeks, we recorded a sharp decline in the number of COVID-19 infections in Germany. This is good news! The federal government, the state government and local authorities have adapted their coronavirus measures to the new situation and have relaxed many regulations, while other regulations – such as distancing regulations and the obligation to wear face masks – have remained unchanged and some new regulations were put in place. The Corona Ordinance (CoronaVO) of the Land of Baden-Württemberg was updated as well. It was therefore deemed necessary by the university to update parts of its hygiene policy.

The main goal is to enable more physical presence at the university and to allow for meetings of (small) groups within the university buildings and premises. This needs to be prepared: Organizational considerations as well as discussions with employees are necessary to allow more staff to return to the office. For group meetings, a concept to ensure that the hygiene regulations are observed has to be drawn up by the organizer and approved by the Service and Marketing GmbH, which also advises the former in the preparation process. None of these steps can be taken hastily, so please take your time.

Attached you will find the updated hygiene policy (as at 17 June 2020), which can - as always - also be found on the intranet and on the website of the university.

You will find a short summary of the most important changes below. The number in this list corresponds to the numbering in the hygiene policy. For the binding regulations and wording, please refer to the hygiene policy in its original version.

• 1.) Employees can carry out office work either from home or at the office. Insofar as it is possible in terms of technical equipment and the type of work, employees can continue to work from home. This will be decided by their superiors upon prior discussion with the employees. Employees from risk groups should still work primarily from home.
• 2) The maximum number of people that are currently allowed to assemble within the university buildings and premises is adapted according to the current Corona Ordinance (CoronaVO) of the Land of Baden-Württemberg. The current version of the CoronaVO determines that a maximum number of 20 people are currently allowed to assemble within the university buildings and premises during internal university events, gatherings and meetings (CoronaVO, as at 10 June 2020). The regulations to protect employees from infection and the regulations laid out in the hygiene policy must be observed. A list of suitable rooms and the corresponding maximum number of people allowed in accordance with the hygiene measures can soon be found on Portal². You can also book the rooms there. Further guidelines on hosting events will soon be available on the intranet.
• 11)/12)/13) Meetings of university bodies should still be held digitally wherever possible. Meetings in the context of research activities and job interviews may be held in person, provided that no more than the maximum number of people allowed in accordance with the CoronaVO take part and the general hygiene regulations are observed. For university events taking place outside the university, the hygiene policy of the University of Mannheim as well as the hygiene policy of the receiving institution have to be observed. Other events, especially sports or cultural events, are subject to the current version of the CoronaVO and must be approved by the President’s Office.
• 5) Employees working at the office should each be offered an individual office. To ensure this as far as possible, all organizational possibilities should be exhausted (e.g. dividing employees up in teams, working in shifts, working from home, reorganizing working hours). If employees cannot be provided with an individual office, additional distancing and protective measures have to be implemented.
• 9) The hygiene regulations for examinations can be found in the general guidelines for examinations. 

If you have specific questions on the hygiene policy and infection prevention, the Department of Safety and Security (arbeitssicherheit(at)uni-mannheim.de) is happy to help. If you have any medical questions, please contact Dr. Sehling from the occupational medical service (amd(at)uni-mannheim.de). If you have questions regarding rooms, please contact Division VI, and if you have labor law-relatedquestions, please contact the person in charge of the Human Resources department. The Staff Council is also happy to assist you with individual questions and problems (personalrat(at)uni-mannheim.de). Other general questions can be answered by our coronavirus task force: task-force(at)uni-mannheim.de

Kind regards - and please stay healthy!

Barbara Windscheid                                                                      Thomas Puhl
Executive Vice President                                                             President

Dear Colleagues and Staff Members,

With participation of the Staff Council, the President’s Office has adopted a hygiene policy, which, in light of the present epidemiological situation, lays out the necessary measures that must be followed by all employees for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. You have received the hygiene policy via e-mail and you can access it on the intranet and on the website of the University of Mannheim.

In order to minimize the risk of infection, the university management has instructed all superiors to make sure the adopted measures are implemented in their respective divisions and departments. Implementation of the measures must be documented. The form for risk assessment, which you can find attached, is intended to be a checklist for superiors and is to support help them fulfill their responsibility in this regard. We kindly ask superiors to read the form carefully, complete it for their respective department or division and send it to the Department of Safety and Security (arbeitssicherheit(at)uni-mannheim.de). Regular employees do not need to do anything. The form is only attached for your information.

Moreover, please find attached a leaflet from the Department of Safety and Security (“Handzettel: Infektionsschutz (EN)”) with important notes regarding your personal protection against infection. We kindly ask all employees to read this leaflet carefully. 

The necessary measures that superiors need to implement before their employees return to the workplace include a safety training regarding the fundamentals of the hygiene policy. The safety training needs to take place on the employees’ first day back at their offices at the latest.

If the risk assessment and the safety training are completed and the implementation of the hygiene policy has been ascertained by the superiors, employees may access their offices as of 18 May 2020 with their ecUM card. A permit will no longer be required. However, until further notice, the buildings of the university will remain closed for students and for the public. Students have access only for on-campus examinations and may enter designated areas of the university library.

The safety training regarding the hygiene concept may be completed in two ways:

1. It may be conducted by the superiors themselves or by an employee who was delegated the task from their superior. The appointment for the safety training may be completed individually or in groups, online or - adhering to the hygiene measures - on the premises.
2. As of next week, the Department of Safety and Security will conduct webinars (in German) for online safety training. This is to relieve some of the burden from superiors and to allow as many people as possible to take part in a safety training on general measures to protect themselves and others from infection. This way, you as a superior only need to train your employees in concrete measures that need to be taken on the premises and you possibly need to individually speak to people who belong to a risk group. Participation in an online safety training is a full substitute for a safety training in person. The first ZOOM-webinars will take place on 20 May, 9:30-10:15 a.m., and on 22 May, 2-2:45 p.m. Registration is possible via e-mail to fortbildung(at)verwaltung.uni-mannheim.de. Further appointments will be announced shortly on the following website (in German).

Participation in the online safety training needs to be documented by means of a signature and needs to be forwarded to the superior. Please find the respective form (“Unterweisungsnachweis zu SARS CoV-2 Kurfassung/Langfassung (EN)”) on the intranet.

The form for risk assessment (“Gefährdungsbeurteilung Corona (EN)”) and further important information on the measures implemented due to the coronavirus pandemic can be found on the intranet and on our website.

Kind regards,                                     

Dear Colleagues,
Staff Members,
Dear Sir or Madam,

Today, we are contacting you to answer your questions regarding the requirements that need to be met in order to resume partial on-campus activities at the university. Currently, this only concerns activities apart from teaching and learning. On-campus teaching operations will not resume this semester (apart from a few exceptions for examinations). The sheer number of requests for permits to access the premises shows us that, for a large number of employees, physical presence at the university is necessary and that currently, they can only complete their job to a very limited extent. The President's Office wishes to maintain the performance of the university in its core businesses research, teaching and infrastructure and we want to do everything that is necessary to provide our employees with the work environment they need. At the same time, we want to highlight: In the current situation and in order to protect others, and ourselves we continue to recommend working from home as the primary option. The university has done a lot to make working from home possible and has invested in licenses, infrastructure and equipment.

What do we need to do now, to allow access to the university premises for all employees who need it? The Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has prescribed a specific SARS-CoV-2 occupational health and safety standard based on the occupational safety and health act which we need to follow and guarantee that it is being followed in order to allow on-campus activities in research, administration and infrastructure.

A hygiene policy for the implementation of occupational safety is required and is the foundation for easing the shutdown measures. Directly related is a required risk assessment for every single workplace. Both measures have been passed by the President's Office and the Staff Council and are laying the foundation for further measures. In the hygiene policy, we have compiled the legal measures to protect employees from infection and the information we know you need, in case you are thinking about resuming your physical presence at your workplace. The hygiene policy is to help you stay safe and observe the legal and technical aspects of the hygiene regulations. As you may notice, the policy mentions materials for hygiene that should be available, but, as a matter of fact, are hard to procure at the moment. In particular, this concerns disinfectant and the respective dispensers. We are working intensively on providing these for you. Other materials have been procured and can be made available for you. We are also preparing signs, e.g. for the distance regulations, that are available for you at the administration.

Cornerstones for the preparation of a careful re-opening of the university on the basis of the hygiene policy:

1. Working from home continues to be the preferred option, especially for people who have pre-existing illnesses or who belong to the risk groups for other reasons.
2. Until further notice, entering the university is allowed with the respective permit, if the individual employee’s tasks require it, their superior allows it and the superior makes sure that the hygiene policy is being observed.
3. Accessing the university without a permit will be possible again as soon as superiors, together with their respective employees, have completed the risk assessment and have forwarded it through their dean’s offices or superiors to the Department of Safety and Security (karl.kaiser@verwaltung.uni-mannheim.de) and the hygiene materials listed in the hygiene policy (face masks, cordons, cleaning products etc.) have been procured. This may take up to two weeks from now.
4. As soon as the hygiene materials have been procured, they can be requested at Division IV (hygienebedarf(at)uni-mannheim.de) and picked up at the Post Office. You will receive further information on the process separately.
5. The superiors are responsible for the implementation of the hygiene policy at their respective departments. The university is liable for the correct implementation of the hygiene regulations and therefore needs to conduct randomized checks.

Today, please find attached the hygiene policy. It is the foundation for our presence on campus, also for those who are accessing the university with a permit. The above-mentioned risk assessment is a form which is currently being edited and which needs to be completed and implemented by all superiors such as heads of divisions or professors. With their signature, they are confirming that hygiene regulations are being implemented and guarantee protection from infection for their employees. You will receive this form, as soon as the President's Office has discussed it with the deans at the Concilium Decanale. Only when you have received both documents and can observe and implement both documents, we can dismiss the access permits. The hygiene policy is an instrument of labor law and safety at the workplace.

You will receive information on conducting examinations on-campus separately in the next few days.

The above-mentioned regulations may seem complicated but are, unfortunately, indispensable if we want to go back to regular operations step-by-step. For the time being, regular operations will be shaped by working from home as the preferred option whereas physical presence will remain secondary. The current situation is new to all of us. We should try to take it as an opportunity to shape our work life of the future in a way that aligns the needs of our work and the protection of our personal health.

Specific questions on the risk assessment may be addressed to Karl Kaiser, Department of Safety and Security (karl.kaiser(at)verwaltung.uni-mannheim.de). All other questions on its implementation may be addressed to the familiar contact persons.

Thank you for your understanding and for your sense of responsibility.

Warm regards,

your

Thomas Puhl                                                                     Barbara Windscheid

President                                                                           Executive Vice President

Dear Colleagues and Staff Members,

As announced, the President’s Office has closely followed the expert opinions of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on the developments of the coronavirus pandemic as well as the decisions of the political authorities at federal and state level. Though the amendment of the corona decree (Corona-VO) of the Land of Baden-Württemberg is still pending, the upcoming changes were announced at yesterday's press conference of the Federal Government of Baden-Württemberg (see https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/alle-meldungen/meldung/pid/fahrplan-fuer-lockerungen-der-corona-beschraenkungen/).

In light of these decisions, there is currently no possibility of relaxing the home office regulations in force at the University of Mannheim in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus after April 20, 2020. The home office regulations and the restriction of access to “systemically important persons” (especially those employees whose presence is essential to keep technical operations at the university going) will be prolonged and will now apply until at least the end of Thursday, April 30.

An exception is made for the Mannheim University Library. The library is currently working on finding ways for students and staff members to borrow items again at the central lending desk of the Schloss Westflügel Library. For this reason, special regulations will apply for all operations related to borrowing items from the University Library. Further information on this will also be given in the course of the next week, as soon as the relevant guidelines have been announced and the details on how to proceed have been agreed upon.

The University of Mannheim will use the time until 30 April to prepare for the implementation of the key points of the COVID 19 occupational health and safety standard presented yesterday by Federal Minister Hubertus Heil and, if necessary, the corresponding provisions of the Land of Baden-Württemberg. We will also examine the possibilities of loosening the current measures on this basis.

In this context, we would like to point out that the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, has urged all citizens to wear face masks from now on: Simple masks made of fabric and covering the mouth and nose should be worn wherever the requirement of keeping a minimum distance to others cannot be observed at all times. The University of Mannheim is currently in the process of procuring such simple textile masks. These will probably be available as of next week. However, the President’s Office would appreciate to see employees purchasing or manufacturing their own textile masks for personal protection.

Due to the worldwide travel warning issued by the Federal Foreign Office and the contact restrictions in force in Germany, the ban on business trips will also be extended until at least May 3, 2020. This means that no business trips may be authorized at present and that any business trips previously authorized for this period must be canceled.

Kind regards – and please stay healthy!

Barbara Windscheid                                                                    Thomas Puhl
Executive Vice President                                                             President

Dear Colleagues and Staff Members,

The Easter week has started. Usually, this is the time for holidays and a break from studying and teaching operations. This year, however, everything is different. For more than two weeks now, the whole country and with it our university has been in a state of emergency.

From a wealth of talks and discussions, the President’s Office knows that many people are wondering how the situation will develop at the university in general as well as in their respective areas of work - whether in teaching, research or the service areas. The decree ordering measures to protect the population from infections and prevent the further spread of the coronavirus (corona decree) issued by the Land of Baden-Württemberg specifies two central dates: On-campus classes are suspended until at least April 19, 2020; the general regulations for public spaces and assemblies will apply until the decree expires on June 15, 2020. However, we expect that the corona decree will be amended in the week after Easter and that even after April 19, on-campus classes (including examinations on campus) will probably be possible only to a limited extent at best - for example in small groups and under observation of strict infection protection measures. For the time being, however, the majority of teaching operations will have to continue in online formats. However, we are planning to gradually resume teaching and examination activities for various scenarios and will inform you as soon as we gain a clearer picture of the situation, probably in the week after Easter.

At present, however, we do not see any possibility of relaxing the measures we took with the letter published on March 22 ahead of schedule. This applies, in particular, to home office regulations and the restriction of access to “systemically important persons”, i.e. especially those employees whose presence is essential to keep operations going. The home office regulations will apply until at least the end of Monday, April 20. This decision is based on the decree issued by the Land of Baden-Württemberg and the recommendations made by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) to slow down the spread of the coronavirus that form the basis of that decree. The University of Mannheim thus continues to follow the request of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) that employers, as key players in society, assume responsibility and create the necessary prerequisites for reducing contact in everyday life (cf. https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/Archiv/2020/Ausgaben/12_20.pdf?__blob=publicationFile and https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Kontaktreduzierung.html).

We are very grateful indeed for being in the fortunate situation that we are not forced into short-time working or have to take leaves of absence without pay, as is the case in large parts of the economy. Therefore, it is our task and duty to plan in advance the individual steps required to restore normal operations at the university – as far as this is possible under the constantly changing circumstances. We would also like to ask all of you to plan and prepare accordingly in your respective area of work together with your superiors and colleagues.

We expect contact restrictions to remain in place for a while even if the regulations of the corona decree are relaxed or partially lifted. For this reason, as well as to ensure that the university can keep operating, we urge all departments, divisions, and other units and institutions to make sure that staff members have as little direct contact to each other as possible once operations on campus are resumed. This can be accomplished, for instance, by splitting each department or unit into two teams that divide up their tasks and presence at the office (shift work or alternating days between home office and presence at the office). Another possibility is to introduce specific rules for using the offices (e.g. dividing up teams into separate rooms, restricting the number of people present to one person per office). Please take into consideration whether some employees can make use of home office equipment as a useful alternative or addition to the workspace at the university. Until further notice, employees who have advisory tasks should continue to hold any appointments only in online form even after April 19 has passed. We would expressly like to encourage you to think ahead. Managing the period of transition lying ahead of us will require everyone’s creativity. Please also consider relevant circumstances, such as the availability of public transport.

We also urge you to take your vacation days as planned and to continue to take leave. We understand of course that the present time may be less attractive to do so on account of the lack of travel opportunities. Nevertheless, it is important that we all take periods of recovery in these tense times in order to stay healthy and productive - even if we have to take a “staycation” this year. Otherwise, we all might accumulate a high number of vacation days that we will not be able to take in time by the end of this year or in the following year. This should be avoided.

We would like to thank all of you for your flexibility in working either from home or on the university premises to keep emergency operations going, as well as for your endless support, which we see everywhere and which is urgently needed to keep operations at the university running and avert any negative consequences, especially for our students. As our world will be more digital than ever once the coronavirus crisis has been overcome, we would also like to ask you to think about which experiences and measures that you have made to date would also be useful for your work in future and could be kept up for this reason.

Should we receive news about the further time frame of the measures and the applicable conditions, we will, as always, inform you immediately. We also ask you to keep up to date about the latest developments on our website and to check your e-mails for new information from us at the latest on April 20 after returning from a hopefully relaxing Easter break.

Finally, let us assure you that we are well aware of the challenging situation you find yourself in between emergency operations on site, home office, physical distancing, and concerns for your family and friends as well as for your own health. All of us are subjected to these conditions – each one of us in a different way. We consider this all the more reason to thank you sincerely for the work you put in for the university and its members, be it for students, teaching staff, researchers, or colleagues in the non-academic area. We now have Easter ahead of us. Enjoy the holidays and use the time, if possible, to take a break from our currently difficult daily lives, and to find new energy and optimism for the coming weeks. In addition, please continue to look after yourself and your fellows.

We wish you a happy Easter!

Yours sincerely,

Barbara Windscheid                                     Prof. Dr. Thomas Puhl

Executive Vice President                               President                                                        

When it comes to working in times of the coronavirus pandemic, the safety and health of our employees comes first. Safety at work is key in this regard. In light of the present epidemiological situation, this hygiene policy lays out the necessary measures that must be followed by all employees within the buildings, premises and vehicles of the university. The rules for employees apply analogously to all students and other university members unless special regulations are in place for certain groups of persons.

The hygiene policy is regularly adapted to the latest provisions and recommendations of the public authorities and to the corresponding coronavirus measures taken or adapted by the university and their impact on the restrictions for the university.

In order to prevent possible further transmission,

• please pay attention to proper hand hygiene and
• cough and sneeze etiquette (cover your mouth with your bent elbow or tissue when coughing/sneezing),
• avoid shaking hands,
• avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth, and
• keep your distance from sick persons (1-2 meters), and
• regularly air rooms.

Face masks
In situations where it is not possible to maintain the minimum distance of 1.5 meters to other people, employees must wear face masks to cover their mouths and noses. For this purpose, the university supplies its employees with suitable mouth and nose protection. The same applies for employees who have contact to customers or a large number of other people in the scope of their job. Students are individually responsible for securing appropriate mouth and nose protection.

In circulation areas (hallways, staircases) and in communal rooms (washrooms, kitchenettes) of university buildings, employees must wear non-surgical cloth face masks or comparable mouth and nose coverings, regardless of the availability of protective masks. In light of the limited stock of such masks, employees are asked to use their own cloth face masks for this purpose.

Additional Tips
Additional tips on hygiene measures can be found on the websites of the Federal Centre for Health Education, BZgA (in German).

Moreover, please stay up-to-date on the situation and inform yourself on the websites of the Robert Koch Institute regularly and consider the current information and recommendations.

As the coronavirus has spread worlwide, the Robert Koch Institute no longer distinguishes between risk and non-risk areas or countries. For more information, please refer to the websites of the Robert Koch Institute (in German).

Restricted operation of the University Library: For members of the University of Mannheim lending in the Schloss Westflügel Library is possible again with some restrictions. Access to the digital media and services will continue. The subject libraries A3 and Schloss Ehrenhof open to students and staff members of the University of Mannheim with some restrictions from Monday, 18 May 2020. A seat booking is mandatory. The libraries A5 and Schloss Schneckenhof (BWL) remain closed. Required media from these libraries can be used in the A3 Library. Find more information on the website of the University Library.

In case of any questions, please contact the occupational medical service of the University of Mannheim. Please direct concrete medical questions via e-mail to amd(at)uni-mannheim.de. In case you would like a phone appointment with the physician of the occupational medical service, please send an e-mail with the subject “coronavirus” to bgm(at)verwaltung.uni-mannheim.de.

In order to implement the Hygiene Policy, the assembly and filling of permanently installed disinfectant dispensers at the main entrances to the university buildings will be organized centrally. In addition, Department IV provides centrally financed and stocked protection and hygiene articles. Information on ordering can be found on the website of Department IV (in German).

On the intranet, you will find bilingual signs with behavioral rules and recommendations during the coronavirus pandemic. Please download, print and put up them up in your work area if applicable.

Business trips to non-EU countries
Due to the worldwide travel warning issued by the Federal Foreign Office, the ban on business trips to non-EU countries will also be extended until August 31, 2020.

Business trips within Germany, to member states of the European Union, Schengen associated countries (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and the United Kingdom
We kindly ask you to desist from business trips to these countries and within Germany. In exceptional cases, where there is an urgent business necessity for taking a business trip, a decision may be made on a case-by-case basis after weighing the risks involved. Please contact the Travel Expenses Team of the Human Resources Department - if possible by e-mail - for this and other questions regarding business travel matters.

Voucher refund
Due to the Corona measures, several transportation companies are forced to cancel planned business trips and now offer vouchers instead of refunds. Please be sure to contact our travel expenses department before accepting a voucher. Your contact person is Ms. Lechner: lechnerd(at)verwaltung.uni-mannheim.de.

The University IT (UNIT) is working hard to expand its digital services to compensate for the suspension of classroom teaching through digital teaching formats, and to enable all employees who currently work in the home office to cooperate as effectively as possible. A summary of all news and updates on these two topics can be found on this website.

Contact staff per e-mail
Many employees of the university – with the exception of so-called “systemically important persons” (for definition, see circular from March 22, 2020)  – will be working exclusively from their home offices at least until May 3, 2020. As a consequence, they can't be reliably reached by phone. Please contact staff as much as possible via e-mail. 

Check e-mails several times a day
In this exceptional situation, it is crucial that we keep communicating with all our staff members. This also applies to those among you who are currently working at home or have taken leave of absence. This is the only way to ensure that important information and new necessary measures can be communicated to all employees in due time and can be followed accordingly. Therefore, all staff members are required to check their e-mails at least once, but preferably several times a day. They must also ensure that they can be reached by telephone during the usual office hours.

Elevators
Elevators may only be used by one person at a time and should only be used by people with reduced mobility or to transport heavy loads.

Janitor
For the protection of the employees, there is only one janitor in each district in alternating emergency service.
The best way to contact them in case of problems is via the hotline of the Reception Desk.
Phone: 181-1110.

Reception Desk
The Reception Desk at the main entrance remains staffed by 2 persons (24 hours / 7 days a week).
In case of any questions or problems, the hotline of the Reception Desk is available under: 181-1110.

In addition, throughout the day, patrols are conducted at irregular intervals in all buildings.

Drinking water supply
Drinking water supply remains unaffected.

Ventilation systems
The ventilation systems will remain in operation with reduced power.

Heating systems
The heating systems remain in operation.

Power supply
Power and emergency power supply remain in operation.

Lighting/electrical appliances
Corridor and office lighting remain in operation.
Please disconnect electrical appliances that are not in use from the mains.

Fire alarm systems
All fire alarm systems remain in operation for safety reasons.

In order to minimize the risk of infection, the university management has instructed all superiors to make sure the adopted measures are implemented in their respective divisions and departments. Implementation of the measures must be documented. The form for risk assessment, which you can find on the intranet, is intended to be a checklist for superiors and is to support help them fulfill their responsibility in this regard.

The necessary measures that superiors need to implement before their employees return to the workplace include a safety training regarding the fundamentals of the hygiene policy. The safety training needs to take place on the employees’ first day back at their offices at the latest. Participation in the online safety training needs to be documented by means of a signature and needs to be forwarded to the superior. Please find the respective form on the intranet.

Employees can carry out office work either from home or at the office. Insofar as it is possible in terms of technical equipment and the type of work, employees can continue to work from home. This will be decided by their superiors upon prior discussion with the employees. It is not necessary to hand in an application for telework. Employees from risk groups should still work primarily from home.

Paid leave
In the few cases where working from home is not an option, we ask the responsible superiors to grant their employees a paid leave of absence for the period of emergency operations. The extent of the leave of absence must then be documented. For more information, please see the coronavirus topic page on the intranet.

Employees who belong to the at-risk group
Employees who belong to the at-risk group are to work from home exclusively. If this is not possible, employees are to reduce their accrued overtime before they receive a paid leave. 

Home office regulations
Due to the exceptional situation, working from home can be approved by your superior alone and, until further notice, does not need additional approval from the human resources department. The approval may be recalled by your superior at any time. 

Moreover, employees need to be reachable in their home offices. Office phones can be forwarded to private lines. During this exceptional period, work from home may be completed in the hours from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Taking home materials from your office
Documents containing personal data and original documents need to remain at the university. Please make sure to return any working materials to the university, once you come back after this crisis is behind us.

On-campus classes
On-campus classes, also those that have started already, are being canceled or, if possible, continued in digital form. This applies to classes for students as well as for other types of courses such as training for teaching personnel and staff members, choir and orchestra practices, and the sports program of the university. Mandatory internships, such as in the industry, that are not taking place at the university, can be continued. However, the continuation of the internship depends on the respective employer of the intern.

The university IT has created a website that summarises all news and updates concerning the switch to digital teaching.

On their website, the Department of Gender Equality and Social Diversity has compiled a number of useful links on various topics  – all of them are related to the issue of reconciling family and career or family and studies during the coronavirus crisis.

From June 24, 2020, the post office will again deliver incoming mail to the previous collection points at the university buildings and take outgoing mail from there. The entrances to the administration building in L 1, 1 and thus the access to the post office will remain closed. Facilities that collect their own mail or deliver outgoing mail to the post office can use the marked window of the post office (access via the street between blocks L 1 and L 2) from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. In the case of incoming or outgoing mail that requires special treatment, please contact the Post Office in advance. These arrangements may be changed at short notice if necessary.

The majority of the written exams for the spring semester 2020 at the University of Mannheim will take place online as open-book exams. Approximately 280 of the 370 exams (all schools combined) will be held in this format.

Lecturers and examiners will provide their students with more details about which form the exam will take in the different subjects and courses.

For certain types of examinations, an open-book format is not possible (e.g. multiple-choice exams). The Student Affairs Team are in the process of finalizing other solutions for these exams.

In addition, a small number of examinations will be held in person under strict observation of the hygiene policy and the general guidelines for examinations of the University of Mannheim. The Student Affairs Team are still working out the final details for these.

It is possible to offer term papers or oral examinations instead of the written exams previously planned.

Solutions have also been found for state examinations (teaching and state law examinations). For all postponed examination dates, the students concerned were informed directly of new dates.

Current information on exams will be sent out via e-mail.

Final thesis and term papers
The blanket extension of the deadlines for final theses and term papers expired on April 20, 2020.Examination processes started as of April 20, 2020 do no longer receive a blanket extension. In case students are having difficulties finding and procuring literature or are experiencing other issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, which are making it difficult to meet deadlines, please let the respective examination committee know so they can find tailor-made solutions.

De-registrations and re-sit options
The university is striving to find accommodating solutions regarding de-registrations and re-sit options for all on-campus examinations. A de-registration from an exam, however, needs to be requested before the examination. Please find more information on the website of the Students Affairs Office.

It is the goal of the university, that all students of the spring semester 2020 can complete their examinations and that no student is at a disadvantage due to the current situation.

In response to our e-mail from 16 March, many of you have kindly set up your office phones to forward calls to your private home office numbers. Unfortunately, this has led to a high number of redirected calls and external calls that regularly exceed the capacity of our telephone system. At such times, calls to external numbers can no longer go through and callers will only receive a busy signal. As a result, this might mean that staff members currently working at the university offices can no longer be reached in urgent cases. The President’s Office has therefore decided that office phones may no longer be set to automatic call forwarding to external numbers. Please ask callers via answering machines and in your e-mail messages to contact you via e-mail and/or forward your calls internally to colleagues who work at their offices, if this is still possible

In order to break the chain of virus transmission and to allow parents who are affected by the closure of schools and day care facilities, all employees of the university – with the exception of so-called “systemically important persons” (see circular from March 23, 2020), especially those responsible for security and IT operations – shall work exclusively from their home offices from March 23, 2020, onwards. 

In the few cases where working from home is not an option, we ask the responsible superiors to grant their employees a paid leave of absence for the period of emergency operations. The extent of the leave of absence must then be documented. For more information, please see the coronavirus topic page on the intranet.

Due to the exceptional situation, working from home can be approved by your superior alone and, until further notice, does not need additional approval from the human resources department. The approval may be recalled by your superior at any time.

Moreover, employees need to be reachable in their home offices.

During this exceptional period, work from home may be completed in the hours from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Personal appointments with employees of the university can no longer take place face to face. In case of concrete questions or need for advice, please contact your advisor via e-mail. Of course, you can agree on other ways of communication such as telephone or video conference.
 

Employees who belong to the at-risk group are to work from home exclusively. If this is not possible, employees are to reduce their accrued overtime before they receive a paid leave.

The maximum number of people that are currently allowed to assemble within the university buildings and premises is adapted according to the current Corona Ordinance (CoronaVO) of the Land of Baden-Württemberg. The current version of the CoronaVO determines that a maximum number of 20 people are currently allowed to assemble within the university buildings and premises during internal university events, gatherings and meetings (CoronaVO, as at 10 June 2020). The regulations to protect employees from infection and the regulations laid out in the hygiene policy must be observed. A list of suitable rooms and the corresponding maximum number of people allowed in accordance with the hygiene measures can soon be found on Portal². You can also book the rooms there. Further guidelines on hosting events will soon be available on the intranet.

Internal events
Meetings in the context of research activities and job interviews may be held in person, provided that no more than the maximum number of people allowed in accordance with the CoronaVO take part and the general hygiene regulations are observed. For university events taking place outside the university, the hygiene policy of the University of Mannheim as well as the hygiene policy of the receiving institution have to be observed. Other events, especially sports or cultural events, are subject to the current version of the CoronaVO and must be approved by the President’s Office.
Meetings of university bodies should still be held digitally wherever possible.

General information on classroom safety can be found on the intranet.

External events
Events, especially sports or cultural events, are subject to the current version of the CoronaVO and must be approved by the President’s Office. Please note that the public and students are still not allowed to enter university buildings. Exceptions to this rule are visits to the library, participation in examinations and approved events.

Information offered by the International Office
The International Office of the University has set up a website where you can find answers to frequently asked questions, including questions on departure, credits and examinations.

News on the current situation in English
The translation agency lengoo translates the live blog of the Tagesschau on the coronavirus into English in its own live blog. Its aim is to provide the many people living in Germany whose native language is not German with reliable information on the current situation.

Information offered by the International Office
The International Office of the University has set up a website where you can find answers to frequently asked questions, including questions on residence permits and job opportunities.

News on the current situation in English
The translation agency lengoo translates the live blog of the Tagesschau on the coronavirus into English in its own live blog. Its aim is to provide the many people living in Germany whose native language is not German with reliable information on the current situation.

On-campus classes
On-campus classes, also those that have started already, are being canceled or, if possible, continued in digital form. This applies to classes for students as well as for other types of courses such as training for teaching personnel and staff members, choir and orchestra practices, and the sports program of the university. Mandatory internships, such as in the industry, that are not taking place at the university, can be continued. However, the continuation of the internship depends on the respective employer of the intern.

On their website, the Department of Gender Equality and Social Diversity has compiled a number of useful links on various topics  – all of them are related to the issue of reconciling family and career or family and studies during the coronavirus crisis.

The majority of the written exams for the spring semester 2020 at the University of Mannheim will take place online as open-book exams. Approximately 280 of the 370 exams (all schools combined) will be held in this format.

Lecturers and examiners will provide their students with more details about which form the exam will take in the different subjects and courses.

For certain types of examinations, an open-book format is not possible (e.g. multiple-choice exams). The Student Affairs Team are in the process of finalizing other solutions for these exams.

In addition, a small number of examinations will be held in person under strict observation of the hygiene policy of the University of Mannheim. The Student Affairs Team are still working out the final details for these.

It is possible to offer term papers or oral examinations instead of the written exams previously planned.

Solutions have also been found for state examinations (teaching and state law examinations). For all postponed examination dates, the students concerned were informed directly of new dates.

Current information on exams will be sent out via e-mail.

Final thesis and term papers
The blanket extension of the deadlines for final theses and term papers expired on April 20, 2020.Examination processes started as of April 20, 2020 do no longer receive a blanket extension. In case students are having difficulties finding and procuring literature or are experiencing other issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, which are making it difficult to meet deadlines, please let the respective examination committee know so they can find tailor-made solutions.

De-registrations and re-sit options
The university is striving to find accommodating solutions regarding de-registrations and re-sit options for all on-campus examinations. A de-registration from an exam, however, needs to be requested before the examination. Please find more information on the website of the Students Affairs Office.

It is the goal of the university, that all students of the spring semester 2020 can complete their examinations and that no student is at a disadvantage due to the current situation.

As the coronavirus has spread worldwide by now, we recommend that students do not travel unless absolutely necessary.

Events which have been canceled or postponed:

• Mannheim Forum from March 19-21: canceled
• Career Fair from March 31-April 2: postponed to September 27-29, 2020
• University Day on May 6: canceled, possibly postponed

No garantuee can be given for the completeness of this list. If in doubt, please contact the respective event host.

Events, especially sports or cultural events, are subject to the current version of the CoronaVO and must be approved by the President’s Office. Please note that the public and students are still not allowed to enter university buildings. Exceptions to this rule are visits to the library, participation in examinations and approved events.