FaQs for International Exchange Students of the fall semester 2020

• You are obliged to wear a mouth and nose covering in the following streets (outdoors!): In the Planken, on Paradeplatz, Breite Straße, on Markt­platz, on Kunststraße, on Kapuzinerplanken, on Fressgasse, on Münzplatz , Markt­strasse, Erbprinzenstrasse and in the area in front of the central train station (Willy-Brand-Platz).
• Private events of a maximum of 10 people are permitted, but the participants may come from a maximum of two different households.
• All restaurants must close at 11:00 pm.
• The sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages is prohibited on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the following day.
• Gatherings of more than 10 people in public spaces are prohibited.

• You are required to wear a non-medical mask (or a scarf covering nose and mouth) when shopping, using public transportation and at airports.
• Everyone is advised to limit contact with people other than those living in the same household to the absolute minimum necessary.
• When in public a minimum distance of at least 1.5 metres is to be kept wherever possible between all persons other than those living in the same household.

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

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/200922_CoronaVO_Konsolidierte_Fassung_ab_200930_englisch.pdf

Entry and travel restrictions are in place throughout the EU since 17 March 2020 and travel to Germany is, thus, also affected. Germany has since implemented the recommendation on entry restrictions by the Council of the European Union in July 2020. The list of states and regions from which unrestricted travel to Germany is possible will be updated every two weeks. The question of whether travel to Germany is permitted depends on where the person travelling has previously been staying, not on their nationality. Visa regulations are not affected by these travel restrictions - so all visa requirements (if applicable) remain unchanged!

Since we do not know about your whereabouts at the time of travel to Germany, we need you to check if these travel restrictions apply to you. Please visit the website of the Federal Foreign Office to get up-to-date information at all times.

Regulations on mandatory quarantine may change. Before entering Germany, please make sure that you know the current regulations. If in doubt or if you have any questions, please contact the local health authority. For Mannheim, please contact 31corona(at)mannheim.de.

If you have stayed in a country or region that is considered a risk area (with regard to the spread of the coronavirus) within the past 14 days before entering Baden-Württemberg, you need to go in a mandatory self-quarantine for two weeks. This also applies if you first travel to another federal state of Germany before entering Baden-Württemberg.

An up-to-date list of countries and regions that are currently considered a risk area can be found on the homepage of the Rober-Koch-Institut. The list is updated every two weeks. For the English version please see „English archive“ at the bottom of the website and select the lastest published version.

If you spent time in a risk area up to 14 days before entering into Germany, you also must immediately report your whereabouts to the responsible local authority upon your arrival. If you stay in Mannheim, please contact 31corona(at)mannheim.de.

During the 14 days in quarantine, you are not allowed: 

• to leave your apartment without the permission of the public health department.
• to receive visits from people living in other households.

If you stayed in a country or region that is considered a risk area within the past 14 days before entering Baden-Württemberg, you are also required to test for Corona Virus SARS-CoV-2. You need to provide the results to the local health autority within 14 days after your arrival. Take into consideration that your medical certificate needs to be based on a molecular biological test for Corona Virus SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, this test needs to be performed in a member State of the European Union or any other state that has been approved by Robert Koch Institut. Your test results cannot be older than 48 hours upon arrival at the Federal Republic of Germany. Please provide that information as soon as possible to the authority in charge in Mannheim “Gesundheitsamt” and keep your medical certificate for at least two weeks.
In case you were tested negative for Covid-19 and can provide a medical certificate (in German or English) to the local health authorities that confirms no evidence of infection with SARS-CoV-2 upon arrival, you will not need to stay in quarantine.

Should you develop symptoms of Covid-19 within 14 days after your arrival, you are also required to inform the local authority, whether or not you previously were tested negative for Corona Virus SARS-CoV-2.

Any violation of the rules may be imposed by a very high fine!

For further information regarding corona testing upon arrival in Germany, please also see the website of the Federal Health Ministry.

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.

Here you can find translated information from the German national and international television based on the news liveblog of the Tagesschau: https://www.lengoo.de/blog/tag/covid-19-live-blog/

You can find more current 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/kurzmeldungen/EN/2020/03/corona-ein-und-ausreise-en.html

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

Should you feel sick, please consult a medical doctor - you will find contact details of English-speaking doctors on MyUniMa.

The Charité Universitäts­medizin Berlin has created a questionnaire as decision support for a possible doctor's visit and/or a coronavirus test. Moreover, it provides you with information on risk reduction and helps society to optimize patient flow.
The app does not substitute clinical diagnostics by a doctor; however, it simplifies procedures in our health care system, gives you individualized recommendations for your next steps and summarizes your data. The app can assist you in evaluating whether it is necessary to see a doctor and/or to know if a test for coronavirus is recommended for you. Medically relevant information will be summarized at the end of the questionnaire and you can take it with you to a doctor's appointment.

You can access the questionnaire here: https://covapp.charite.de/, switch to English in the upper right-hand corner, and start the survey. After completing the survey you get individualized recommendations based on your answers. You can also print out the summary afterwards.

The questionnaire is anonymous and will be recorded by the device (e. g. cell phone) you use when taking the survey. Your answers will not be transferred to Charité nor any other third party.

If you feel like you should get tested for SARS-Cov-2, please ask yourself: did you have contact with an infected person or did you return from a so-called 'risk area' recently? If so, please contact a medical doctor on the phone first and state your case.

The city of Mannheim also established a Corona-Hotline: +49 (0)621-293 2253

Outside their office hours, this number should be available as well: (+49) 116 117

The city of Mannheim also gives information on their website: https://www.mannheim.de/de/informationen-zu-corona/informationen-in-verschiedenen-sprachen#  (scroll down for information in English and other languages).

The A3 Library and the Schloss Ehrenhof Library are open Monday to Friday from 12 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except for holidays).

All user groups will be able to enter the Schloss Ehrenhof Library and the A3 Library from Mondays to Fridays from 10 am to 8 pm (except for public holidays) and there will be more seats available. The central lending desk will also open from 3 August 2020 onwards, Mondays to Fridays from noon until 6 pm (except for public holidays).

Members and affiliates of the University of Mannheim are still able to reserve a seat in the libraries in Schloss Ehrenhof and A3. However, as long as free seats are available, these can also be used without a seat reservation. The current number of free seats can be looked up on the websites of the University Library.

The scan service for students and academic staff for printed titles from all library locations, including the Central Lending Library and the closed stacks, is continued. Please also make use of our significantly expanded digital offer of e-journals, e-books and databases.

You can find an overview of the University Library’s current range of services and resources at https://www.bib.uni-mannheim.de/en/corona/

Should you have problems accessing Portal² or Ilias and/or opening uploaded materials, kindly visit: https://www.uni-mannheim.de/en/it/support/.
If you cannot find the answer to your question there, kindly get in touch with our colleagues from University IT support via itsupport(at)uni-mannheim.de. 

The new “Checkin“ application allows you to easily find free work spaces in empty lecture halls on campus and to login to these rooms. 

You can use the lecture halls which are currently not used to participate, for example, in a virtual class which starts directly after an on-campus class has ended. Please use the rooms listed in the “Free work” section on Checkin. For more information, please see the website of the University IT.

By using headphones, you can participate in virtual lectures in the libraries. Please respect the rules in the quiet working areas. If you want to actively engage in a virtual class, this is only possible at the individual workstations in the former group study zones and rooms (such as in the Learning Center or in the large group study zone on the ground floor of the Schloss Schneckenhof Library).

Free work spaces in the University Library

The university’s main cafeteria now offers a take-away option which you can order online on the Studierenden­werk’s website.

If you would like to have a meal from the cafeteria, please note that from Monday through Thursday you need to pre-order on the previous day until 12 pm for pick-up on the following day. Due to organizational reasons, any orders for Monday need to be placed on Friday until 12 pm.

When placing an order, please fill out the form on the Studierenden­werk’s website where you can select a meal (regular, vegetarian, dessert) and a pick-up time between 12 pm to 2 pm.  Here you can find the daily menus.

Afterwards, provide your full name and email-address, then click the button “Jetzt bestellen”.

Please remember to pick up your order during the selected time frame and note that ordered meals are prepared specifically for you.

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/

For general inquiries, please contact the International Office: incomings(at)uni-mannheim.de

For questions regarding coursework, examinations, etc., please contact your departmental exchange coordinators: You can find the list of coordinators here.