Coronavirus: Current Measures and Recommendations

Dear Colleagues and Staff Members,

On Tuesday, the federal and state governments decided to extend the current lockdown until 14 February 2021. Many of the currently valid measures were extended and some measures - for example for working from home and for wearing face masks - were even tightened.

At the moment, we do not know yet how these measures will look in detail, since the decisions must be implemented by the state governments. To this end, the Corona Ordinance of the Land of Baden-Württemberg will be amended. However, we currently do not expect any changes for the University of Mannheim.

With regards to working from home, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs plans to pass a decree which stipulates that employers must enable their employees to work from home wherever the employees’ tasks allow and if not opposed by official reasons. Since the university already fulfills this regulation, we do not foresee that we will have to take action. The Central University Administration emphasizes once more that all superiors should only allow as few employees as absolutely necessary to work on the university premises during the strict lockdown. Employees should only work on the university premises if they cannot fulfill their work duties from home or if working from home means that internal or external deadlines cannot be met.

Furthermore, employers will have to provide surgical face masks if employees cannot maintain the minimum distance while performing their work duties. The university already purchased surgical face masks and provides these for the employees. As things stand at present, we expect that these surgical face masks can also be used under the new regulations. For more information on how departments and institutions can order these surgical face masks for their employees, please see the following link (in German): https://www.uni-mannheim.de/universitaet/organisation/verwaltung/dezernat-iv-in-progress/informationen-zur-coronakrise/bezug-von-hygienebedarf/#c215981

We will inform you as soon as we know what the measures will look like in detail, if and to which extent they affect the university, how the university will implement them and from when they will enter into force.

Kind regards - and please stay healthy!

Your

Task Force

Dear Colleagues and Staff Members,

The federal government and the state governments have decided that their coronavirus measures remain valid until 31 January. For the universities this does not bring about many changes, because the coronavirus measures that are currently in place will remain valid until the end of January and the exceptions from the restrictions - for example for the in-person exams - also remain unchanged.

In practical terms this means:

• Until 31 January 2021, only authorized university members with a valid ecUM card can enter the university buildings.
• The University Library remains closed until 31 January. However, you can probably borrow pre-ordered items as of Wednesday, 13 January 2021. Further details will be available on the website of the University Library in due time. 
• Due to the closure of the schools and the day care facilities, the university’s flexible working hours remain unchanged in January and you can work between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.
• The scheduled in-person exams for January can take place as planned.

Kind regards - and please stay healthy!

Your

Task Force

Dear Colleagues and Staff Members,

Due to the new Corona Ordinance of the Land of Baden-Württemberg, the University Library must close as of today and until 10 January 2021. The free workspaces for independent study in the Ostflügel can also not be used anymore.

Since many staff members are already working from home and there will be even fewer people in the university buildings as of today, the university will close the buildings over Christmas earlier than planned. All entrances will be closed as of tomorrow, 17 December and until 10 January 2021. Staff members can still access the university buildings with their activated ecUM cards in order to work in the offices. Staff members should generally have access to the buildings. In case you do not have access yet, please send an online request to the responsible department (please refer to the form). Staff members do not need a permit to enter the buildings.

Please also take note that the Central University Administration recommends that staff members should primarily work from home due to the current infection rates provided that this is approved by their superiors and that this is compatible with their work duties.

As things stand at present, the scheduled in-person exams in December and January can still take place. In these cases, the buildings will be opened for the participating students. The teaching staff and the students will be informed about this in separate e-mails.

Since the university might have to impose new measures and adjust procedures on a daily basis, we ask you to check your e-mails and the university’s general coronavirus information page at least once a day for the latest updates.

Kind regards - and please stay healthy!

Barbara Windscheid
Executive Vice President

Dear Students, dear Colleagues, dear Staff Members,

We have decided in agreement with the Central University Administration that the opening hours of the university buildings will be changed as of 25 November 2020. This is done because the staff members of the university are working primarily from home again and there are less people in the buildings, especially in the evening hours. As of 25 November, we will close the entrance doors of the university buildings electronically at 4.30 p.m. when it starts getting dark outside so that the staff members in the buildings feel more secure. The entrance doors of the libraries are exempt from this rule and will not be closed at this time. After 4.30 p.m., employees will only be able to access the buildings if they have an activated ecUM card or ask the guard duties at the Reception Desk for help. Leaving the buildings will still be possible without an ecUM card.

Employees who do not yet have access can submit a request via the institution or chair responsible for them. The relevant form is available for download on the intranet page of Division III. The request must be approved by the institution/chair and can be sent electronically to the office that will process it.

Kind regards and please stay healthy

Your

Barbara Windscheid
Executive Vice President

Dear Colleagues and Staff Members,
Dear Students,

We are in partial lockdown: As announced in our e-mail on Friday, the state government of Baden-Württemberg yesterday significantly tightened the coronavirus measures laid out in the general Corona Ordinance (Corona-VO) and the coronavirus decree for higher education and the arts (Corona-Verordnung Studienbetrieb und Kunst) of the Ministry of Science in an effort to contain the pandemic. The new measures entered into force on Monday, 2 November 2020.

The following rules and regulations now apply for the University of Mannheim (presumably until 30 November 2020): 

In-person classes suspended with immediate effect
In-person classes are only possible in individual cases. They may only be held on campus if special protective measures are in place and if the class in question cannot take place online. Such classes require prior approval by the President's Office.

If you as an instructor see the need to continue your class in person (for instance as a block seminar) and have not yet requested approval from the President’s Office, we ask you to send an e-mail to Ms. Dr. Regine Zeller (HDZ) at the latest ten days before the class is scheduled to take place. Please state the title, place, number of participants and circumstances of the course and give a brief explanation why it is essential to hold the class in person. You will be informed about the decision of the President's Office in due time and asked to notify your students accordingly.

Examinations
All in-person exams scheduled for November have to be approved by the President's Office. They can only take place on campus if this is absolutely necessary and it can be ensured that the provisions of the hygiene policy are strictly observed at all times – if necessary, by implementing additional infection control measures.

For exams that are coordinated by the central exam coordination team under Ms. Schwörer (for instance the oral state examinations in teacher education), the authorization to hold these exams will be obtained directly by Division II. However, in case you plan to conduct an in-person exam at your chair which was not coordinated by the exam coordination team to date, we ask you to send an e-mail to Ms. Schwörer (pruefkoordination(at)verwaltung.uni-mannheim.de) as soon as possible but at the latest ten days before the exam, indicating the exam in question, the number of participants and the room in which the exam is due to take place. In this case, too, the examiners will be informed about the decision of the President's Office in due time and asked to notify their students accordingly.

Free workspaces for independent study in the Ostflügel
Contrary to last Friday’s announcement, students will still have the possibility in November to use free workspaces for independent study in unoccupied lecture halls and seminar rooms. In order to do so, however, students are required to register via Checkin before entering a given room and to strictly observe the hygiene policy (wearing face masks, maintaining distance, only using marked seats, etc.) during the entire time spent inside the room. In order for us to better keep track of occupied rooms, students will only be able to use rooms located in the Ostflügel of the Schloss for the time being. Please go to https://checkin.uni-mannheim.de to find an updated list of available rooms.

University Library remains open
The library areas accessible to date will remain open for the time being. Please bear in mind that since Friday, 30 October, you are obliged to wear a face mask in the University Library at all times, including at your seat.

Obligation to wear masks when dealing with customers
Please note that the new Corona Ordinance requires all staff and visitors working in or visiting the Student Services offices or other advising and administrative units to wear face masks in case of direct contact, unless other protective measures (such as protective barriers) are in place.

Recommendations on working from home and holding meetings
Once again, the Central University Administration would like to ask all superiors to encourage their staff members to work primarily from home as of 2 November, as far as this does not interfere with the performance of their daily activities. This means that the extent of work carried out from home may not only vary between the individual institutions, departments and divisions, but also between individual staff members within one and the same team, depending on their responsibilities and tasks. Please make sure that you remain available during the usual business hours even while working from home, both via e-mail and via MS Teams for internal communication.

Furthermore, we would like to ask you to hold any meetings taking place as of 2 November in online form whenever possible. It is up to the respective superiors to decide if a meeting should take place online or in person. They are also responsible for ensuring that the university’s hygiene policy is strictly followed during the meeting.

We are well aware that the next four weeks will once again be extremely challenging for all of us, both in our professional and our private lives. Nevertheless, we are convinced that our society must continue to stand united in this ongoing crisis and that we as a university must play our part in containing the rapid surge in infections and the pandemic as a whole. Together, we will overcome this challenge as well as we did in spring, and we will ensure that we can continue our university operations despite the renewed lockdown. Although this may take place increasingly online, the endless commitment of all our university members and affiliates will make it possible to do so at a high level and in a way that will largely allow our students to complete their studies as planned. Despite the longevity of these strenuous and demanding times, we urge you to carry on and not to waver in your commitment.

Since the university might have to impose new measures and adjust procedures on a daily basis, we ask you to check your e-mails, the university’s general coronavirus information page and the coronavirus information page for students at least once a day for the latest updates.

Please take care and stay healthy!

Sincerely,

Barbara Windscheid                       Prof. Dr. Thomas Puhl  

Executive Vice President              President

Dear Colleagues and Staff Members,

Starting next Monday, 2 November 2020, the state government of Baden-Württemberg will enforce a “lockdown light” in order to contain the rapidly rising surge in new coronavirus infections. Higher education institutions will also be affected by new restrictions.  In a press release from today, the Ministry of Science, Culture and the Arts (MWK) announced a new coronavirus ordinance for higher education and the arts (Corona-Verordnung Studienbetrieb und Kunst), which will be released by 2 November.

At present, the state government has not yet provided us with definite information regarding the agreed measures. Similar to the statement you can read in the ministry’s press release, we assume that from Monday onwards, in-person classes will only be possible in individual cases. The teaching staff and the students will also receive an information e-mail about this situation today.

For now, the buildings and the University Library will remain open for university members. However, the Central Administration would like to ask all superiors to encourage their staff members to work primarily from home as of Monday, 2 November - as far as this does not interfere with the daily activities. This means that the extent of work carried out from home may not only vary between the individual institutions, departments and divisions, but also between individual staff members within one and the same team, depending on their responsibilities and tasks.

We would also like to ask you to hold digital meetings as of Monday, 2 November, whenever the business issues allow. The superiors decide if a meeting takes place online or in-person, as they are also responsible for ensuring that the hygiene policy is strictly followed during the meeting.

Please bear in mind that the country is currently in a phase of transition, which means that our university, too, might have to impose new measures and adjust procedures on a daily basis. For this reason, we ask you to check your e-mails and the university’s general coronavirus information page at least once a day.

Please take care and stay healthy!

Your

Barbara Windscheid                                                                     Prof. Dr. Thomas Puhl            

Executive Vice President                                                                     President

Dear Colleagues,

In the fall semester 2020, students and employees have returned to the campus of the University of Mannheim.

Due to the current development of the COVID-19 infection rates, it is more likely that over time colleagues or students of our university could get infected.

The three documents attached to this email will inform you about what to do in case you are tested positive for COVID-19 or if you as superior are informed that one of the members of your team or department was tested positive. Attached you will also find a text template for communicating with the staff members.

All documents are also available for download on our website or in the intranet.

Furthermore, the Central Administration recommends using the Corona-Warn-App of the Federal Government.

If you have any questions, please write an e-mail to task-force(at)uni-mannheim.de.

Kind regards and please take care!

Your

Task force of the University of Mannheim

Persons showing symptoms indicative of the coronavirus (fever, dry cough, impaired smelling or taste) are not allowed to enter the premises of the university. Employees with symptoms of a cold have to leave the workplace or stay at home until their symptoms have been checked by a doctor.

Should you notice symptoms indicative of the coronavirus in yourself while on campus, please leave ongoing events and classes/your workspace and stay at home until the symptoms have been checked by a doctor.

The university management recommends using the Corona-Warn-App of the Federal Government.

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 watch your distance (1,5 meters), and
• please wear a face mask, and
• 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
• regularly air rooms.

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.

All people must wear a non-surgical cloth face mask or a comparable mouth and nose covering in circulation areas (hallways, staircases) and in communal rooms (washrooms, kitchenettes) of the university buildings. In situations where employees are in direct contact with customers or cannot maintain the minimum distance of 1.5 meters to other people while carrying out their work duties, they must wear face masks to cover their mouths and noses.

The university asks all employees to wear their private face masks for these purposes. If employees do not want to wear their private face mask on campus or while carrying out their work duties, the university provides them with a surgical face mask. For more information on how departments and institutions can order these surgical face masks for their employees, please see the website of Department IV (in German).

We generally do not procure and provide FFP2 face masks.

Students are individually responsible for securing an appropriate mouth and nose covering.

Used face masks should not be kept in boxes or bags made of plastic. The moist and warm climate is a breeding ground for all kind of germs and may be harmful to your health. Face masks should be cleaned daily.

The University of Mannheim does not consider protective face shields or visors to be an adequate alternative to mouth and nose coverings such as non-surgical cloth face masks. They thus do not comply with the regulations laid down in the university's hygiene policy. The Robert Koch Institute points out that mouth and nose coverings must be placed correctly over the mouth, nose, and cheeks and must fit as tightly as possible in order to minimize the flow of air at the edges. This protection is not given with face shields or protective visors.

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.

What happens when Mannheim becomes a coronavirus hotspot?

The hygiene policy of the University of Mannheim will continue to apply. The policy implements the provisions of the coronavirus decree of the Land of Baden-Württemberg (Corona-VO) and the coronavirus decree for higher education and arts (Corona-VO Studienbetrieb) and also takes into account the requirements of occupational safety. The hygiene policy has also been coordinated with the health authority of the City of Mannheim. In addition, the task force checks on a daily basis whether further measures - such as limiting the maximum number of people who are allowed to gather in public areas or attend an event - need to be taken pursuant to the provisions under federal state or municipal law. The task force would communicate any possible changes or alterations on this website and, if necessary, update the university's hygiene policy.

The hygiene policy is intended to help prevent infections, even if an infected person is at the University of Mannheim. A prerequisite for this is strict adherence to the policy - so please remind yourself and, if necessary, others of it. Please also continue to adhere to the prevailing hygiene measures, in particular the obligation to wear mouth and nose coverings, to maintain the minimum safety distance of 1.5 meters to each other and to perform proper hand hygiene. Please also note that, according to the current hygiene policy, any individuals displaying symptoms of a cold must leave their university workspace or stay away from it. Furthermore, it is possible to agree upon working from home with your superior, provided that your official duties allow it.

What happens if my place of residence becomes a coronavirus hotspot?
If your place of residence has been declared a coronavirus hotspot, you are nevertheless allowed to come to and work at your university workspace, provided that you comply with all hygiene regulations and do not display any symptoms of a cold.

What happens if I plan a business trip to a location that has been declared a coronavirus hotspot?
For information on business trips to risk areas, coronavirus hotspots in Germany, and non-risk areas, please click here.

Due to the current development of the COVID-19 infection rates, it is more likely that over time colleagues or students of our university could get infected.

The three documents below will inform you about what to do in case you are tested positive for COVID-19 or if you as superior are informed that one of the members of your team or department was tested positive. Attached you will also find a text template for communicating with the staff members.

In case a participant of one of your classes notifies you that they were tested positive for the coronavirus, please take note of the following information on what to do next:

First, you should check in which of your classes the infected person participated and if the hygiene policy of the University of Mannheim was observed.

1. The hygiene policy was observed: Provided that the hygiene policy was observed in the respective class (distance was kept, seating plan was observed, face masks were worn as stipulated in the valid version of the CoronaVO on that day, the room was aired in case it did not have a ventilation system), the class can still take place on campus. We recommend that you ask the students at the beginning of the next class if they think that the hygiene policy was observed at all times.
2. The hygiene policy was not observed: In case the hygiene policy was not properly implemented and observed in your class, please contact the task force immediately. We recommend that all participants contact their doctor to inform themselves about what to do next.

If necessary, the health authorities will officially inform the participants about the next steps in this case of infection. However, in the interest of all people involved, we would like to ask you to inform the participants of your class about this confirmed case of infection as a precaution. You will find a text template to communicate with your students at the end of this e-mail. In case your students have questions after reading your e-mail, please advise them to speak to a doctor.

Please inform the task force about the situation in any case and let us know which class was affected on which day. You should also inform your chair holder and your dean’s office about this situation. If you have any questions, please write an e-mail to task-force@uni-mannheim.de.

Please also forward this e-mail to the (other) tutors at your chair.

Kind regards and please take care!

Your

Task force of the University of Mannheim

Text template “Information for the students”:

Dear Students,

Today we would like to inform you that one of the participants in the class „___“ on weekday, date was tested positive for the coronavirus.

In case the hygiene policy of the University of Mannheim, which was coordinated with the health authority, was properly implemented and observed during the class on weekday, date, you are still allowed to enter the campus of the university. The respective class can also still take place on campus.

Please ask yourself if you observed the hygiene policy in the respective class at all times - also right before and after the class (for example when entering the room or when speaking to others in the hallway etc.) Please inform your teacher immediately in case you think that you did not properly observe the hygiene policy.

The health authority will take action in case further steps should be necessary.

We would like to ask you to follow the hygiene policy of the university whenever you are on campus, especially when you are in contact with other people. The Central Administration also recommends using the Corona-Warn-App of the Federal Government.

In case you feel unsure about the situation, you are welcome to reach out to your doctor with any additional questions.

In line with the hygiene policy, we would like to remind you that in case you develop symptoms that are typical for a coronavirus infection, you are not allowed to enter the campus and you may not participate in classes and events of the university until your symptoms have been checked by a doctor.

In case you have any questions to the university, please send an e-mail to task-force@uni-mannheim.de.

Kind regards and please take care!

Your

Task force of the University of Mannheim

Persons showing symptoms indicative of the coronavirus (fever, dry cough, impaired smelling or taste) are not allowed to enter the premises of the university. Employees with symptoms of a cold have to leave the workplace or stay at home until their symptoms have been checked by a doctor.

Business trips to coronavirus hot spots in Germany
Business trips to coronavirus hot spot areas are currently not permitted (see the current list of risk areas). This also applies to business trips that were already approved, provided that the respective city or region was classified as a risk area only after the approval of the business trip. In case a city or region is classified as a risk area only after you have traveled there for your business trip, please contact the head of Division V immediately.

In any case, please inform yourself about the development of the coronavirus pandemic in your destination both before and during your business trip.

In exceptional cases in which it is necessary to make a business trip to a coronavirus hot spot area for urgent work-related purposes, an individual decision can be made upon request considering the risks involved. Please also note that the business trip can only be approved if no quarantine is to be observed upon your return.

For such an individual decision to be made, we need the following documents in advance:

1) a special written justification of the superior stating why the trip is necessary and why the purpose of the business trip cannot be achieved by participating in the respective event in digital form and

2) a confirmation of the staff member planning the trip that they will adhere to the prevailing hygiene regulations of the University of Mannheim during their entire business trip.

Please submit all relevant documents in due time to ensure that any questions can be clarified before you start your trip. We also ask you to provide us with a telephone number or e-mail address, so that we can reach you at short notice, if necessary. Please note that the insurance coverage and the option of having your travel expenses reimbursed only starts once your business trip has been approved.

In order to submit your request and in case you have any other questions regarding business trips, please contact the travel expenses office of Division V - Human Resources via e-mail, if possible.

In case you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact the travel expenses office.

Business trips to risk areas
Business trips to risk areas are currently not allowed (please see the current list of risk areas according to the decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs on quarantine measures for entering and returning to the Land of Baden-Württemberg in order to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus). This also applies to business trips that were already approved, provided that the country or the region was classified as a risk area after the approval of the business trip. In case a region or country is classified as a risk area after you have traveled there for your business trip, please contact the head of Division V immediately.

Please inform yourself about the development of the coronavirus pandemic in your destination and about possible travel restrictions before and during your business trip. Please also take note of the information from the Federal Foreign Office, the Robert Koch Institute and the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Mandatory testing and quarantine
Please note that you must comply with the prevailing regulations for mandatory testing and quarantine according to the decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs on quarantine measures for entering and returning to the Land of Baden-Württemberg in order to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (CoronaVO EQ) when you enter or return to Baden-Württemberg.
The relevant regulations are available here: www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/aktuelle-infos-zu-corona/verordnung-fuer-ein-und-rueckreisende/

What this means for you: Please do not come back to the university as long as you have not complied with the regulations of the CoronaVO EQ (please see above) and especially if must observe time in quarantine. Should you have questions regarding retuning to your workplace at the University of Mannheim, please contact the head of Division V (from home).

Business trips to non-risk areas
We would like to ask you not to take any business trips until further notice, even if these take place in regions (also within Germany) and countries that currently are not classified as risk areas or hot spots.

In exceptional cases in which it is necessary to participate in a business trip in a non-risk area for work-related purposes, an individual decision can be made upon request. For such an individual decision to be made, we need the following documents in advance:

1) the written justification of the superior why the trip is necessary and why the purpose of the business trip cannot be achieved by participating in digital form and

2) a confirmation of the staff member planning the trip that they will adhere to the prevailing hygiene regulations of the University of Mannheim during their entire business trip.

3) For business trips abroad, we recommend that you buy private travel health insurance. Please inform us for the individual decision if you bought travel health insurance.

Please submit all relevant documents in due time and take into account that the processing time for approving the business trip is two weeks. Please note that the general insurance coverage and the option for reimbursement are subject to the approval of the business trip.

In order to submit your request and in case you have any other questions regarding business trips, please contact the travel expenses office of Division V - Human Resources.

Voucher refund
Various transport companies are forced by the coronavirus regulations to cancel planned business trips and are now offering refunds in form of vouchers instead of cash. Please do not accept a voucher before you get in touch with out travel expenses office. You contact person is Ms. Lechner.

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.

During the last months, the Central Administration and the University IT have joined forces to ensure that the administration services run smoothly and to make personal consultations possible - even under coronavirus constraints and without any direct face-to-face contact. You can book advising appointments with the staff members of the administration via Microsoft Teams. Booking virtual meetings with several persons is also possible.

Online appointments
You now also have the option to book appointments with the responsible advisors online. You can find a link to book appointments online in the contact information of the respective contact person. For matters regarding student affairs, it is possible to book appointments on the web pages of Division II. For matters regarding human resources or other topics of Division V, you can send appointment requests via the intranet page of Division V. Persons who are not employed at the university can use the online contact form on the web page of Division V to get in touch. For infection control reasons and due to the room conditions, these appointments will primarily take place via MS Teams or telephone. In special cases, appointments may also be possible in person.

Signing contracts
Wherever possible, contracts will be concluded either electronically or by (internal) mail. If this is not possible, for instance in the case of employment contracts, you will receive an individual appointment in person.

Requesting certificates
The Central Administration are happy to send you confirmations and certificates either electronically or by (internal) mail.

Submitting documents
You can send files and documents either electronically or, if an original is required, by (internal) mail to the Central Administration.

Janitor
All janitors are working during their regular working hours and can be contacted as usual.

Reception Desk
The Reception Desk at the main entrance is occupied by two persons at all times (24 hours / 7 days a week). In case of any questions or problems, please contact the hotline of the Reception Desk by calling 181-1110.

Technical Equipment
All technical equipment and systems can be used as in times before the start of the pandemic. Special regulations only apply to the following systems:

Opening Hours of the University Buildings
Since many staff members are already working from home and there will be even fewer people in the university buildings as of today, the university will close the buildings over Christmas earlier than planned. All entrances will be closed as of 17 December and until 10 January 2021. Staff members can still access the university buildings with their activated ecUM cards in order to work in the offices. Staff members should generally have access to the buildings.

Employees who do not yet have access can submit a request via the institution or chair responsible for them. The relevant form is available for download on the intranet page of Division III. The request must be approved by the institution/chair and can be sent electronically to the office that will process it.

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.

Ventilation systems
The ventilation systems are operated under special regulations.

All measures of the University of Mannheim aim at minimizing the risk of infection and stopping the further spread of the coronavirus. However, it is impossible to guarantee full protection. According to the latest scientific knowledge, the coronavirus is primarily transmitted through droplets. Airing generally reduces the risk of infection through aerosols and therefore plays a vital role in our concept to slow the spread of the coronavirus. For this reason, we recommend to air rooms frequently with as much fresh outdoor air as possible.

At the University of Mannheim, all commonly used rooms and offices can at least be aired by manually opening the windows. Larger rooms with a possible seating capacity of more than 50 persons are usually equipped with a ventilation system. When using such large rooms, ventilation systems (RLT systems) are absolutely necessary from a hygiene and energetic point of view to fulfill the legal requirements.

RLT systems ensure a high level of safety, because they purify the incoming air from outside with filters to separate small particles. As a result, the secure supply of purified air in an RLT system dilutes possible contaminations and lowers the number of viruses in a room. Furthermore, special zones and pressure controls ensure that contaminants from outgoing air of a room cannot spread throughout the whole building. In addition, RLT systems can be operated in every weather condition.

Find more information on the RLT ventilation system on the intranet.

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.

The Central Administration would like to ask all superiors to encourage their staff members to work primarily from home as of Monday, 2 November - as far as this does not interfere with the daily activities. This means that the extent of work carried out from home may not only vary between the individual institutions, departments and divisions, but also between individual staff members within one and the same team, depending on their responsibilities and tasks. 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.

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 of your superior may be recalled at any time. We are extending the flexible working hours to 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. because of the closure of the schools and the day care facilities.

Furthermore, employees need to be reachable when working from home.

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.

Taking home materials from your office

It is generally not possible to procure work equipment and material that will only be used by employees who work from home. Work equipment and materials may only be procured for the university’s “regular workplace operations” within the valid regulations.

However, employees can borrow work equipment from their university workplace that they need in order to work from home. This rule does not apply to furniture. The head of your institution decides if you are allowed to borrow equipment from your workplace. In case employees take work equipment home, the relevant head of the institution must ensure that this work equipment is returned to the university when this exceptional situation is over.

Furthermore, employees may borrow old work equipment from the university’s storeroom.

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.

Online contact tracing via “Checkin”
In order to trace possible routes of transmission, the University of Mannheim is obliged to collect contact information of all participants (students, teachers, guests etc.) in on-campus classes. This contact information must be stored for four weeks in case the health authorities inquires about it. By the beginning of the semester, we will implement the new digital application “Checkin” to collect contact information. This application will be used instead of or in addition to the paper forms that are currently used. You can find further information and the link to the application on the website of the University IT. Please do not hesitate to contact the IT support in case of questions or problems.

Paper forms for participants without mobile device
Participants without mobile device can still use a paper form and fill in their contact information. The forms will be available in the orange boxes in the lecture halls in due time. Additional copies are available at the Reception Desk at the main entrance of Schloss Ostflügel or on the intranet for printing. For all classes for which you booked a room via the GmbH, please submit the paper forms to the Reception Desk after the class has ended (please also refer to the PDF Handreichung Corona Präsenzveranstaltungen (Regulations for On-Campus Classes and Meetings in the Rooms of the University of Mannheim). In all other cases, please write down the data of all participants yourself and keep the respective data for four weeks.

Mandatory collection of telephone numbers 
Please note that it is no longer sufficient to only collect participants’ e-mail addresses during classes or advising appointments on campus. In order for the local health authority to be able to reach all individuals swiftly and reliably in cases of suspected infection, you are required to collect participants’ telephone number instead of their e-mail address and store it for four weeks.

For advising appointments, you can simply use the Typo3 plug-in for appointments that was designed and made available by the University IT. If you enable the option for collecting contact information for contact tracing in the plug-in, all data including the telephone number will automatically be stored for four weeks and then be deleted. You can find out how to access the stored data in the instructions for the appointment tool (only available in German).

For on-campus classes, the telephone number is collected automatically, because it is a mandatory field in the online form of “Checkin”.

Suspension of on-campus classes starting on November 2, 2020
According to the new coronavirus decree for higher education and the arts (Corona-Verordnung Studienbetrieb und Kunst), in-person classes are only possible in individual cases. They may only be held on campus if special protective measures are in place and if the class in question cannot take place online. Such classes require prior approval by the President's Office.

If you as an instructor see the need to continue your class in person (for instance as a block seminar) and have not yet requested approval from the President’s Office, we ask you to send an e-mail to Ms. Dr. Regine Zeller (HDZ) at the latest ten days before the class is scheduled to take place. Please state the title, place, number of participants and circumstances of the course and give a brief explanation why it is essential to hold the class in person. You will be informed about the decision of the President's Office in due time and asked to notify your students accordingly.

Corona checklist for on-campus classes
You will find a Corona checklist for on-campus classesas well as furtherguidelines on hosting events on the intranet.

Contact tracing in classes
In order to trace possible routes of transmission, the University of Mannheim is obliged to collect contact information of all participants (students, teachers, guests etc.) in on-campus classes. This contact information must be stored for four weeks in case the health authorities inquires about it. By the beginning of the semester, we will implement the new digital application “Checkin” to collect contact information. This application will be used instead of or in addition to the paper forms that are currently used.

You can find further information on contact tracing in general here.
You can find further information and the link to the application on the website of the University IT.

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

Partcipant of a class tested positive for COVID-19
In case a participant of one of your classes notifies you that they were tested positive for the coronavirus, please take note of the information on our website on what to do next.

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.

We would also like to ask you to hold digital meetings as of Monday, 2 November, whenever the business issues allow. The superiors decide if a meeting takes place online or in-person, as they are also responsible for ensuring that the hygiene policy is strictly followed during the meeting.

The university post office is open for you from 7 a.m. to noon. You do not need to make an appointment in advance.Please maintain the mandatory distance when picking up your mail and wait in front of the post office in case a colleague is already inside.

Most scheduled exams will take place as planned - also the few in-person exams. Several in-person exams were changed to an online format because students explicitly expressed this wish.  As things stand at present, all other exams can take place as planned in December and January - despite the nation-wide lockdown starting on 16 December. Should there be any short-term changes due to the new regulations, we will inform you directly via e-mail.

Private trips to risk areas
It is your private decision if you travel a risk area or a German hot sport in your private time. However, please note that you must comply with the prevailing regulations for mandatory testing and quarantine according to the decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs on quarantine measures for entering and returning to the Land of Baden-Württemberg in order to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (CoronaVO EQ) when you return to Baden-Württemberg from private trips. The relevant regulations are available here: www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/aktuelle-infos-zu-corona/verordnung-fuer-ein-und-rueckreisende/.

Please bear in mind that you have to check with your superior/s that not only your vacation/absence is approved but also the following absence due to the mandatory quarantine.

In this context, we would like to point out that we cannot grant you paid leave while you are in mandatory quarantine, since this absence is based on your private decision. For this reason, you have to check with your superior/s if you can take days of leave for the duration of the quarantine or if - for some or all of that time - you can work from home, use overtime hours, or if unpaid leave is an option. If the interests of the university generally allow that the days in quarantine can be taken off directly after the holiday, this period must be covered by one of the measures mentioned above or by a combination of these. Paid leave is not possible. In cases of doubt, please contact the head of Division V.

Please inform yourself about the development of the coronavirus pandemic in your destination and about possible travel restrictions before and during your private trip. Please also take note of the information from the Federal Foreign Office, the Robert Koch Institute and the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Should the coronavirus situation worsen during your private trip and the region or country that you are in is classified as a risk area after you arrive, you must observe the current regulations for entering and returning to Baden-Württemberg. Should you have questions regarding retuning to your workplace at the University of Mannheim, please contact the head of Division V (from home).

Since many schools/day care facilities must be closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, affected parents should have the option to work from home in order to look after their children.

For the few cases where working from home is not an option, employees can use overtime hours or vacation days, where available. If not opposed by official reasons, superiors are to prioritize these requests and to meet the wishes of the employees. In particular cases of hardship (i.e. single parents without any help for child care) paid leave can be granted until further notice. Further information can be found in 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 of your superior may be recalled at any time. We are extending the flexible working hours to 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. because of the closure of the schools and the day care facilities.

In case you need a certificate of indispensability (Unabkömmlichkeitsbescheinigung) from your employer so that your children can attend emergency child care, please have your supervisor send a formal request to your advisor in the Human Resources department. Your competent advisor in the Human Resources department will be happy to advise you on this topic.

Furthermore, employees need to be reachable when working from home.

According to the Corona Ordinance (CoronaVO) of the Land of Baden-Württemberg, no events are currently allowed to take place. Examinations are exempt from this regulation.

Events and meetings are subject to the current version of the CoronaVO and the current version of the university's hygiene policy.

Room bookings / Implementation of the hygiene policy during events and classes
The regulations to protect participants from infection and the regulations laid out in the hygiene policy must be observed during gatherings, events and classes. You can find suitable rooms and the respective maximum number of people that are allowed in each room in the “Corona” building in Portal². You can also book the rooms there. Further information on conducting events and classes are available in the PDF “Handreichung Corona Präsenzveranstaltungen (EN)” (Regulations for On-Campus Classes and Meetings in the Rooms of the University of Mannheim).

Contact tracing via “Checkin”
In order to trace possible routes of transmission, the University of Mannheim is obliged to collect contact information of all participants (students, teachers, guests etc.) in on-campus classes. This contact information must be stored for four weeks in case the health authorities inquires about it. By the beginning of the semester, we will implement the new digital application “Checkin” to collect contact information. This application will be used instead of or in addition to the forms on paper that are currently used. Further information on contact tracing, whether online or on paper, is available on the website or the intranet in the section “Contact tracing”.

Guidelines and checklists
You will find a Corona checklist for on-campus classes as well as further guidelines on hosting events on the intranet.

Up-to-date information on the opening of the library can be found on the website of the university library.

According to the Corona Ordinance (CoronaVO) of the Land of Baden-Württemberg, no events are currently allowed to take place. Examinations are exempt from this regulation.

The university will close the buildings until 31 January 2021. Universitiy members can still access the university buildings with their activated ecUM cards.

Please note: Persons showing symptoms indicative of the coronavirus (fever, dry cough, impaired smelling or taste) are not allowed to enter the premises of the university.

Should you notice symptoms indicative of the coronavirus in yourself while on campus, please leave ongoing events and classes or stay at home until the symptoms have been checked by a doctor.