FaQs for International Exchange Students

In order to make sure that medical care for all patients can be upheld, several regulations have been implemented. The goal is to reduce the number of physical contacts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The below regulations apply to the federal state of Baden-Württemberg and Mannheim in particular. They may vary between states or cities. 

The Mannheim Health Department has determined that there has been a seven-day incidence of more than 100 new coronavirus infections per 100,000 inhabitants, three days in a row. Therefore, the general regulations will be reinforced from 16 March 2021 onwards.

Regulations currently in place are:

• General mask requirement: In most public areas (in and in front of public transportation, in workplaces, in and in front of shops, while waiting in queues, all enclosed spaces open to the public, etc.) you are required to wear a medical mask (FFP1 or FFP2).
• Mask requirement in Mannheim specifically: In addition to the general mask requirement, you are obliged to wear a mouth and nose covering in the city center on Mon to Sat from 9 am to 8 pm, on Sun from 10 am to 7 pm. On Sat and Sun it is also required to wear a medical mask in the areas of Wasserturm/Friedrichsplatz­anlage, Quartiersplatz Jungbusch, Uferpromenade Jungbusch, Neu­markt, Alter Messplatz, Rheinpromenade und Strandbad from 10 am to 7 pm. Map of respective areas
  There is no exception to the mask requirement for smoking.
  There are only few exceptions to the mask requirement in Mannheim:
  • when eating outside (while staying stationary and keeping a distance of at least 1.5 meters to other persons, not while walking, not while waiting in lines)
  • when doing sports (running) outside, but only if it is possible to keep a distance of at least two meters to other people.
• It is not allowed to drink alcohol in these areas in Mannheim.
• Retail businesses may not offer click & meet. Grocery stores, pharmacies, drugstores, etc. will remain open as usual. Hairdressers remain open, but it is required to wear a medical mask when getting a haircut. In case wearing a mask is not possible (i.e. when getting a beard trim in a barbershop), a negative coronavirus quick test result of the same date needs to be presented.
• Museums, galleries, zoological and botanical gardens are closed.
• Outdoor sports facilities for amateur and individual recreational sports are closed. Individual sports are allowed only with members of one's household plus one other person not a member of the household. Extensive outdoor facilities such as golf courses, equestrian facilities, or even tennis court facilities may be used by multiple individuals engaged in individual sports, subject to spacing rules. Locker rooms, lounges, and other common facilities such as restrooms may not be used.
• All gastronomic and most cultural, entertainment businesses and institutions are closed. However, some of them might 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.
• In public areas, you are required to keep a distance of 1.50 meters from other people. Whenever it is impossible to maintain the required distance, please wear a protective mask
• In public spaces as well as at home, there are extended contact restrictions: Only one household plus one other person not a member of the household, are allowed to meet.
• Overnight stays, as well as bus tours for touristic purposes, are not permitted.

For more detailed information

City of Mannheim (in German) | German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community | Integration Commissioner of the German Federal Government | Corona Ordinance of the State of Baden-Württemberg

• 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), if there is a concrete danger to life or property.
  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.

General Entry restrictions

Entry and travel restrictions have been in place throughout the EU since 17 March 2020 and travel to Germany is, thus 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!

Restrictions on travel from countries with coronavirus variants (starting 30 January 2021)

On 30 January 2021, a travel ban has been imposed on countries with widespread occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 virus variants of concern. Carriers may not transport any persons from these countries to Germany. There are only a few, strictly defined exceptions to this travel ban:

• Persons who are resident in Germany with a current right to reside in the country
• German nationals

Should you meet one of the exceptions and be able to travel from a so called “area of variant of concern”, please keep in mind that you will have to undergo quarantine in Germany and have a negative SARS-CoV-2 test result on you when starting your journey. You need to take the test within 48 hours before starting your journey.

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 and may vary between states or cities. Before entering Germany, please make sure that you know the current regulations. If in doubt or if you have any questions, please contact us: incomings uni-mannheim.de.

Who needs to quarantine?

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 10 days before entering Baden-Württemberg, you need to go in a mandatory self-quarantine for 10 days. This also applies if you first travel to another federal state of Germany before entering Baden-Württemberg. 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.

Travelling from a country of variant of concern: If you meet one of the exceptions described above and can travel to Germany, you will have to go in quarantine for 14 days immediately after arrival.

Before entering Germany

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

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 that needs to meet the requirements of the Robert-Koch-Institut.

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. The test needs to be taken within 48 hours before entry of Germany and also needs to meet the requirements of the Robert-Koch-Institut. When using a carrier (airplane/train), you need to already present this proof to your carrier before starting your trip.

During the quarantine period

During the 10 (or 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.

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. You can take a test in Mannheim(or other place of residence). Only a test carried out in Germany will be accepted. The negative result must be presented immediately to the competent authority.  Please also keep the negative test results for at least 10 days.

If you are travelling from an area with a particularly high risk or area of variant of concernof SARS-CoV-2 infection, the 10-day quarantine period cannot be shortened.

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

You are exempted from the quarantine if you already contracted the coronavirus at least 21 days up to 6 months prior to the date of your arrival in Baden-Württemberg and can provide the health authorities a medical certificate confirming this. The infection needs to be confirmed by a molecular biological test by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR test). Please note that you need to be symptom-free upon arrival in Germany.

Further Information

• 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

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 find current information in English here:

News on the coronavirus in Germany:

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

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

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

If you need to get tested or are in need of medical attention in case of a (possible) infection with Corona, you can find a map with doctor’s offices which offer testing and treatment here.
When contacting the doctor’s office, please always do so via phone first and clarify the following procedure. They will provide you with more information regarding your current situation.

Please find the instructions for how to use the map and a list of doctor’s offices in Mannheim here.

There is also a coronavirus test center in Mannheim where testing is available (at a fee).

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).

If you are in quarantine and need to get groceries, there are a couple of options you can take a look at. 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

From Wednesday, 10 March 2021, the subject libraries will be open again on a restricted basis. Access to the subject libraries is only possible for all user groups with a valid seat booking. Under the current Corona Ordinance of the state of Baden-Württemberg, libraries are permitted to open regardless of the incidence value. Even if the “emergency brake” comes into force due to the general ordinance of the city of Mannheim, the subject libraries of the UL with seat bookings remain accessible with restrictions.

The Central Lending Library is open on a limited basis from Wednesday, 13.01.2021, for picking up pre-ordered media. We will continue to offer a scan service for all members of the University of Mannheim.

The latest information on the services of the University Library are available here.

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 uni-mannheim.de. 

The University’s main cafeteria „Schlossmensa“ currently offers to order food for take-away.

If you would like to have a meal to-go, you can still order it in person at the cafeteria’s co­unter during the opening hours from 11.30 a.m. – 2.15 p.m (Mon-Fri).  Here you can find the daily menus.

When entering the cafeteria please always follow the hygiene regulations and fill out the online contact form via the MensA-Guest-App, which you will get access to by scanning a QR-Code. Then follow the directions provided by staff and place your order. After you have received your order and paid, do not forget to check out on the MensA-Guest App and enjoy your meal!

For more information about the cafeteria, please go to the Studierenden­werk’s website.

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/

PBS Psychological Counselling Center of Studierenden­werk Mannheim: 

Telephone Consultation:
Mon & Thu: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Tue & Wed: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Fri: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Phone: 0621 49072-555 

https://www.stw-ma.de/en/Counseling+_+Service/PBS+Psych_+Counseling.html

Central Institute of Mental Health (Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit): 

Telephone Counselling: Mon-Fri: 8.30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Phone: 0621 1703-2850 

Emergency Telephone Counselling: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Phone: 0621 1703–2150
5 p.m. – 7 a.m. Phone: 0621 1703-0 

The emergency service for people in mental crises is available around the clock. You will find the emergency service in J 5, therapy building, ground floor, entrance next to the main entrance. 

Nightline Heidelberg 

Phone consultations are in German only, but you can write them an email in English: 

https://www.nightline-heidelberg.de/write-us.html

• Improve your German skills. There are many online tools, e.g.: https://www.goethe.de/en/spr/ueb.html  or the online courses provided by „Deutsche Welle“: https://learngerman.dw.com/de/overview
• You can now visit the exhibitions about modern photography in local art museums online, e.g. Kunsthalle Mannheim:  https://biennalefotografie.de/en/news/virtueller-rundgang-durch-unsere-ausstellungen 
• Keep updated about the online offers of the Nationaltheater of Mannheim: https://www.nationaltheater-mannheim.de/de/index.php (in German only)

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

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