In order to make sure that medical care for all patients can be upheld, stricter regulations („lockdown“) 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.

Lockdown regulations have been implemened in Germany from 11 January 2021 until 31 January 2021 (but may be extended).

• A night-time curfew has been implemented, prohibiting to be outside between 8 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.
• All retail businesses are closed except for critical infrastructure (grocery stores, pharmacies, drugstores, etc.).
• All gastronomic, cultural, entertainment, fitness and wellness businesses and institutions are closed. Some may offer digital, take-out or delivery services.
• The number of customers allowed in stores is restricted. Entry may be regulated and you are required to wear a protective mask also while queuing up.
• A protective mask is mandatory in and in front of public transportation, shopping facilities and centers, doctor’s offices, hairdressers, in public institutions, etc. In Mannheim you are also obliged to wear a mouth and nose covering in the pedestrian zones.
• 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.
• Private meetings of members of one household are only allowed with one other person - whether at home or in public. In Baden-Württemberg, children under the age of 15 are not counted towards this rule. 
• The radius of movement is limited in many federal states in so-called hotspots. This restriction of movement applies to a radius of 15 kilometers around the place of residence. So-called hotspots are currently regions with a 7-day incidence of over 200 infections per 1,000,000 inhabitants within 7 days.
• Overnight stays as well as bus tours for touristic purposes are not permitted.

Please keep in mind that due to the due to the current epidemiological situation specific rules may be in place in your town/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)

German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community:

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

Integration Commissioner of the German Federal Government:

https://www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/service/fragen-und-antworten/1731242-1731242?index=1731568

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

• What does the night-time curfew mean?
  It is strictly prohibited to be outside between 8 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 8 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 8 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 8 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.

Before entering the 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/service/fragen-und-antworten/1731242-1731242?id=01-Intro-en

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

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(at)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(at)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 these months: November 2020, December 2020, January 2021, February 2021 and March 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): From 01.06.2020, international degree seeking students can receive a KfW student loan temporarily at an interest rate of 0%.  The extension for international degree seekings students is limited until March 31, 2021. 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