In order to make sure that medical care for all patients can be upheld, stricter regulations have recently been implemented. The goal is to reduce the number of physical contacts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Below regulations apply to all federal states of Germany but may vary slightly between states or cities or change due to the 7-day-incidence. Please check regularly for current regulations in your city/district.

Mandatory masks and contact restrictions:

• In most public areas (public transport, in workplaces, shops, doctor’s offices etc.) you are required to wear a medical mask (FFP1 or FFP2).
• In public areas, you are required to keep a distance of 1.50 meters to other people. Whenever it is impossible to maintain the required distance, please wear a protective mask. In Mannheim you are also required to wear a mask in the pedestrian zones.
• Private meetings in public or private space: 2 households are allowed, with a maximum of 5 people. Couples who do not live together count as one household. Children of the two households up to and including 14 years of age are not counted.

Retail and gastronomy:

• Stores selling products for daily needs (including supermarkets, bookstores, hardware stores, flower shops) are open. Other retailers may offer “Click&Collect” (with prior registration and appointment booking).
• Restaurants, bars, clubs, and pubs of all kinds remain closed. However, some of them may offer delivery or pick-up services.
• Body-related services (hairdressers, beauty salons etc.) are only allowed with prior appointment booking.

Recreational activities:

• Overnight stays or bus tours for tourist purposes are not allowed.
• Individual sports outdoors and on indoor sports facilities (no swimming pools) with a maximum of 5 people from no more than 2 households are allowed. Fitness and wellness establishments and facilities remain closed.

Please keep in mind that due to the current epidemiological situation specific rules may be in place in your city/district. Please stay informed!

Coronavirus Warning App: The Corona-Warn-App helps to quickly disrupt chains of infection. It turns your smartphone into a warning system. The app informs us if we have had contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19. It protects us and others around us, as well as our privacy. You can download the app here: https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/corona-warn-app/corona-warn-app-englisch

For more detailed information:

City of Mannheim (in German): https://www.mannheim.de/de/corona

“Darf ich das?” App – What are you actually allowed to do, and which rules and laws are currently valid in your region?: https://www.darfichdas.info/ (Currently only in German)

Zusammen gegen Corona/Together against Corona:

https://www.zusammengegencorona.de/en/

Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration:

https://www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/staatsministerin/corona/what-do-you-currently-need-to-know-about-corona-englisch--1876282

Corona Ordinance of the State of Baden-Württemberg:

https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/fileadmin/redaktion/m-sm/intern/downloads/Downloads_Gesundheitsschutz/201130_CoronaVO_kons_Fs_en.pdf

There is a night-time curfew in place in Mannheim until 11 April 2020.

• What does the night-time curfew mean?
  It is strictly prohibited to be outside between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless you have a valid reason.
  Valid reasons are: going to/coming home from work; seeking medical, veterinarian or therapeutic treatment; animal care (e.g. walking your dog).
  The authorities can fine violating this regulation.
• Can I buy groceries/food after the curfew?
  No. Buying food is not a valid reason to go outside between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., according to the regulation. You also may not leave your apartment during those times to pick up food you ordered at a restaurant. Though, delivery service to your apartment is allowed.
• Can I stay at my partner’s place if we do not live in the same household?
  Yes. In that case, you are counted as two separate households and have reached the maximum number of households that are allowed to meet.
• My train only arrives in Mannheim after 9 p.m., what can I do?
  Travel for private purposes (visiting friends, buying groceries,…) have to be planned in compliance with the curfew and other regulations. In case of train delays, you are obligated to head straight home.
  In case of a valid reason for being outside after 9 p.m. you may also use public transportation during that time.
• Can I be in Mannheim during the curfew as a resident from outside of Mannheim?
  You may only stay in Mannheim as a non-resident in case of a valid reason.

Test obligation for air entry from 30 March 2021

If you want to fly to Germany, you have to show a negative corona test before taking off abroad. Further information can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of Health.

Restrictions on travel from countries with coronavirus variants

A travel ban has been imposed on countries with widespread occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 virus variants of concern (referred to as “areas of variant of concern”). Transport companies, e.g. air carriers and railway companies, may not transport any persons from these countries to Germany. There are only a few, strictly defined exceptions to this travel ban, namely for:

• Persons who are resident in Germany with a current right to reside in the country
• Persons on connecting flights, who do not leave the transit zone of an international airport

Those who qualify for the above-mentioned exceptions are equally required to complete an online registration form and must present a negative COVD-19 test result prior to entry.

Travellers can find more information about the travel ban on the website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The list of “areas of variant of concern” is published on the website of the Robert Koch Institute.

General Entry restrictions

For Germany, travel restrictions apply for entry from a large number of countries. These are issued by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community. Please check with the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI) prior to your trip to find out what regulations apply specifically with regard to the country from which you plan to enter Germany.

In principle, entry is possible from:

• EU member states
• states associated with Schengen: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein
• Other countries, from which entry is possible due to the epidemiological situation assessment by the EU.

Entry from any other country is only possible in exceptional cases and is conditional on there being urgent need.

Before entering Germany, you are required to register at https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de and carry the confirmation with you when travelling.

If you are travelling from an area with a particularly high risk  of SARS-CoV-2 infection, you must get tested before starting your journey, since you must be able to present proof  when entering the country. When using a carrier (airplane/train), you need to already present this proof to your carrier before starting your trip.

If you are entering the Federal Republic of Germany and have spent time in a risk area within the 10 days prior to entry, according to Land law you are generally required to proceed directly to your own home, or other suitable accommodation, immediately upon arrival and remain exclusively at this location for a period of 10 days after your entry into the country (quarantine). Violations can be punished as an administrative offence with a very high fine.

A risk area is any country or region outside of the Federal Republic of Germany for which, at the time of entry into the Federal Republic of Germany, an increased risk of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus exists. The Robert Koch Institute maintains a continually updated list of risk areas at the following link: https://www.rki.de/risikogebiete.

Furthermore, you must possess proof of testing within a maximum of 48 hours after entering the country and present it to your local authority within 10 days of your entry if requested to do so. Valid proof is a medical certificate or a negative test result for infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

With regard to the obligation to quarantine, please refer to the law of the federal Land that applies to you and consider that, the period of isolation may be shortened. The quarantine may end after 5 days if a test for Coronavirus carried out on the fifth day after entry to Germany or later is negative. The negative result must be presented immediately to the competent authority.  When entering from a virus variant area, it is not possible to shorten the quarantine period with another test.You can find a test center near you here. Please find the instructions for how to use the map and a list of doctor’s offices in Mannheim here.

You can find further information here:

Information on the recognition of tests for SARS-CoV-2 for persons arriving in Germany from risk areas

Federal Foreign Office – Information on entry restrictions and quarantine regulations in Germany

Baden-Württemberg – Entry Quarantine and Testing

Corona Testzentrum Mannheim – Testing available without an appointment (at a fee)

Many non-German native speakers are facing quite a challenge to stay on top of the news concerning the development of the situation of the coronavirus in Germany. You can for example find current news from Germany in English here:

https://www.deutschland.de/en/news/coronavirus-in-germany-informations

https://www.thelocal.de/tag/coronavirus

You can find more information in English here:

German Federal Foreign Office:

https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/einreiseundaufenthalt/coronavirus

German Federal Ministry of Interior, Building and Community:

https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/faqs/EN/topics/civil-protection/coronavirus/coronavirus-faqs.html#doc13797140bodyText3

Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration

https://www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/staatsministerin/corona/what-do-you-currently-need-to-know-about-corona-englisch--1876282

If you hold a German residence permit for the purpose of studying please keep the following in mind:

• Your residence permit becomes invalid six months after you have left Germany, even if it expires only at a later date. 
• Please note that if you intend to stay in Germany, you must apply for the following residence permit after successfully completing your studies (publication of the last grade in Portal2) in due time.
• Should you disenroll, your residence permit will expire automatically within 14 days after disenrollment.
• Make sure to keep an eye on the expiry date of your residence permit!

The Foreigners‘ Office in Mannheim does not offer walk-in interviews at the moment. Appointments can only be made by calling this number: 0621-293-2691.

German Federal Foreign Office:

https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/einreiseundaufenthalt/coronavirus

German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community:

https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/kurzmeldungen/EN/2020/03/corona-ein-und-ausreise-en.html

It is also recommended that you hold onto any plane tickets or other documents that document your travels to your home country and possible intended return (e.g. if your flight back to Germany was cancelled).

Lecture period of the spring semester 2021 (FSS 2021)

Lectures of the spring semester 2021 will begin on 1 March 2021 and end on 18 June 2020, including a normal Easter break.

You can find an overview of all semester dates at https://www.uni-mannheim.de/en/academics/dates/academic-calendar/#c955.

You can find an overview of all examination dates at https://www.uni-mannheim.de/en/examination-dates/.

Alternate examination dates for the fall semester 2020/21:         20 February – 27 February 2021

Current information regarding exams can be found here: https://www.uni-mannheim.de/en/academics/during-your-studies/frequently-asked-questions-related-to-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

In order to mitigate hardship for students during the coronavirus pandemic, the individual standard periods of study and the examination deadlines (orientation examination and deadline for the maximum period of study) are extended for all students who were enrolled in the spring semester 2020 or the fall semester 2020/2021 by one semester for each of these semesters.

To read more information and find out who to contact with questions, please go to https://www.uni-mannheim.de/en/academics/during-your-studies/examinations/extension-of-examination-deadlines/.

If you are in quarantine and need to get groceries, there are a couple of options. In order for you not to leave the house, some grocery stores now offer their products online and deliver anything from groceries to drugstore products to your door-step. 

In the following you can find instructions for two online grocery stores and how to use their online offer: 

• getNow.com
• Rewe online store
• Alternatives: EDEKA online store, myTime.de

Many restaurants in Mannheim also deliver their dishes. You can order either directly from the respective restaurants or via the delivery service Lieferando.

If you are moving within Germany you can currently go to K7 to register and deregister without an appointment on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Fridays from 8 am – 12 pm. Otherwise you can make an appointment by calling 0621 115.

Please bring the following documents with you:

• Registration Form (if you are moving to Mannheim from another municipality in Germany): https://www.mannheim.de/sites/default/files/page/73797/formular_anmeldung.pdf
• Registration Form (if you are moving within Mannheim): https://www.mannheim.de/sites/default/files/page/73797/ummeldung.pdf
• A scan of your passport/ID
• A scan of your Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord's confirmation of residence)

Please remember to wear a mask at all times during your appointment!

If you are leaving Germany please take these documents to de-register:

• A scan of your passport/ID
• A scan of the filled out and signed “abmeldung” 

You can also de-register via e-mail instead by sending the two above mentioned forms to buergerservice.mitte mannheim.de .

Here you will find digital offers of the International Office as well as external offers that might be interesting and useful to you: Digital Offers for internationale degree seeking students of the University of Mannheim

We are also planning more online activites for our Degree Seeking Students in the coming weeks – we will inform you soon via email.

The University of Mannheim's Institute of Sports offers you the opportunity to stream various courses offered by the institute online in your living room: https://www.uni-mannheim.de/en/sports/program/

If you feel you need support and somone to talk to the psychologists at the Psychological Counseling Center of the Studierendenwerk Mannheim are offering telephone counseling: PBS Psych. Counseling Center

For all of us these times are very unusual and some of you may be confronted with new insecurities and challenges. In order to help you deal with some of the challenges you might be facing at the moment, we have compiled a few helpful links and ideas:

• Tips and Help for International Students
• 10 Tips for Students in Times of Corona

If you are living in accommodations of the Studierendenwerk Mannheim and are facing financial difficulties due to Corona, please contact the Studierendenwerk directly: housing stw-ma.de. Evidence that paying the rent is a financial burden must be provided.

If you are living in private accommodation we strongly advise you to contact the Tenants' Association (Mieterverein Mannheim) in your town or municipality.

Measures to support students during the corona pandemic

Bridging aid for students in financial emergency situations: The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is helping students who are demonstrably in a financial or economic emergency situation owing to the corona pandemic . Those already receiving loans, grants or other support may nevertheless obtain bridging assistance. The application may be submitted separately for each month until September 2021. In case you can document that you are in a financial hardship due to the pandemic, an application can be made for each new month. Depending on proven need, you could receive between 100 euros and 500 euros as a non-repayable allowance. They are paid out via the Studierendenwerk Mannheim. Online application here: www.ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende.de

Loan from the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW): Students can temporarily obtain the KfW Student Loan at an interest rate of 0%. This interest rate is valid until December 31, 2021. Students of full age at a state or state-recognized university located in Germany who are not older than 44 years at the start of financing and belong to one of the following groups are eligible:

• German citizens residing in Germany,
• EU citizens who have resided in Germany permanently for at least 3 years and are registered here,
• Family members (regardless of citizenship) of a German or EU citizen who reside with the latter in Germany and are registered here,
• International students who obtained a German Abitur or equivalent and are registered in Germany. 

Here you can do a pre-check whether you meet the requirements for funding (currently only in German): Pre-check.

Applications for the loan can be submitted to the Studierendenwerk: Counseling Service Studierendenwerk Mannheim