CORONAVIRUS – FAQs from the International Office

No face-to-face consultations shall be provided whilst public access to the campus is heavily restricted. Please send your queries to the members of staff at the International Office via email at any time.

The International Office is available over the phone as follows:
Tuesdays: 9.30 a.m. - 12.00 p.m. and 2.00 - 4.00 p.m.
Thursdays: 9.30 a.m. - 12.00 p.m. and 2.00 - 4.00 p.m.

• In accordance with the SARS-CoV2-QuarantäneVO MV (SARS-CoV-2 Quarantine Regulations) [de], persons who have entered the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern via land, sea or air from abroad and have been to a risk area, defined as such by the Federal Government, at any time within the last 14 days prior to entry, are required to travel directly to their home or other suitable accommodation immediately, and to self-isolate there permanently for a period of 14 days following entry; this also applies to persons who entered the Federal Republic of Germany via another federal state. These persons are not allowed to receive visitors that do not belong to their household during this period.
• The persons affected must immediately contact the local competent health authorities and confirm that they are able to fulfil this stipulation. Furthermore, please also inform the Office of the Rectorate (corona@uni-greifswald.de) and, if applicable, your line manager/superior.
• You must inform the local competent health authorities immediately if you show any signs of illness that could be related to a COVID-19 infection as indicated in the current criteria issued by the Robert Koch Institute. You must also inform the Office of the Rectorate (corona@uni-greifswald.de).
• The Gesundheitsamt (Public Health Office, telephone:  03834 8760 2300, e-mail corona@kreis-vg.de) can shorten the 14-day period of quarantine following return from a risk area upon request.

Students abroad on an exchange programme organised by the University of Greifswald and who terminate their stay abroad, are not required to pay back the full funding amount. How this situation is dealt with depends on the exchange programme and length of the period of stay abroad. Please contact the International Office and keep an eye on the current information provided by the DAAD.

Students have been and will be nominated at partner universities for winter semester 2020/21 and spring semester 2021. However, this is subject to

• the feasibility of periods of stay abroad on the part of the partner universities,

• travel possibilities at the planned time of departure and

• the guidelines issued by authorised bodies (Federal Foreign Office, Robert Koch Institute, etc.).

In view of the current circumstances, it cannot therefore be guaranteed that you will be able to start your period of stay abroad.

If required or it is sensible due to the current situation, nominated students for winter semester 2020/21 can be nominated for summer semester 2021 as long as it is possible for them and the partner university agrees.

Please contact the respective member of staff at the International Office by writing to erasmusuni-greifswaldde for a period of stay abroad with the Erasmus+ programme or hsauni-greifswaldde for a period of stay abroad at a partner university.

Postponing your stay for a whole year to winter semester 2021/22 is generally NOT possible – if students would like to do this, they will have to re-apply.

When preparing your period of stay abroad, please make sure you will not be faced with expensive cancellation fees if you have to cancel your flight etc.

Students can apply for funding for their internship via Erasmus+ and the PROMOS programme. We currently recommend you continue with your regular plans. Hopefully, the situation will change in the coming months and you will have a smooth start to your internship. If students, contrary to expectations, are unable to start their internship, we will try to provide the funding at a later date. When preparing your internship, make sure that you will not be faced with high cancellation fees, e.g. for flights, if things do turn out differently.

The winter semester has started on  01/10/2020, with the lecture period starting on 12/10/2020.

Teaching at the University of Greifswald takes place on site. Therefore, as a general rule of principle, face-to-face teaching remains the form of teaching we would like to provide. It is supplemented and enhanced by digital formats that enable the innovative realisation of teaching and learning goals. Digital teaching does not constitute an end in itself. If the pandemic-related contact and distancing regulations are still in place in winter semester 2020/21, it will be necessary to provide large amounts of digital teaching, but this is only due to reasons related to the protection of health. The most important information regarding the planning of teaching for winter semester has been summarised in a concept that has been agreed with the faculties.

Please visit our website regularly to keep up to date with current information. We will also publish all of the information regarding current developments at the University on our social media profiles.

In accordance with the Quarantäneverordnung M-V [de] (Quarantine Regulations), the following compulsory quarantine regulations applyafter entry to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern:

• Persons who have been to an international risk area in the 14 days prior to a planned visit to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have to contact the Gesundheitsamt (Public Health Office) immediately after entry and self-isolate at home for a period of 14 days.
• Persons who enter Mecklenburg-Vorpommern from risk areas within Germany only have to contact the Public Health Office and self-isolate at home for 14 days if they show symptoms that could indicate they have fallen ill with COVID-19 pursuant to the current criteria defined by RKI.
• The Public Health Office of the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald is the competent authority in Greifswald. Persons returning from travel and who are subject to compulsory self-isolation in accordance with the above-named stipulations, must complete the form "Selbstauskunft Reiserückkehrer [de]" (form for providing details about past travel) that is provided on the district's website (www.kreis-vg.de) and send it to reiserueckkehrer@kreis-vg.de.

Persons who have entered the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald from risk areas and who must self-isolate at home in accordance with the State's quarantine regulations (see above) may have self-isolation lifted pursuant to the general ruling of the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald of 29/10/2020 if they fulfil the following prerequisites:

• persons who have been to an international risk area in the 14 days prior to entry will have their compulsory quarantine lifted once they are able to prove two negative COVID-19 tests that must be 5 days apart and if they show no signs of illness
• persons who have entered from risk areas within Germany and are showing symptoms will be able to terminate compulsory self-isolation if they are able to prove a negative test result

Teaching at the University of Greifswald takes place on site. Therefore, as a general rule of principle, face-to-face teaching remains the form of teaching we would like to provide. It is supplemented and enhanced by digital formats that enable the innovative realisation of teaching and learning goals. Digital teaching does not constitute an end in itself. If the pandemic-related contact and distancing regulations are still in place in winter semester 2020/21, it will be necessary to provide large amounts of digital teaching, but this is only due to reasons related to the protection of health. The most important information regarding the planning of teaching for winter semester has been summarised in a concept that has been agreed with the faculties.

Please contact your internship supervisor with regard to your arrival and stay in Greifswald. If you have reserved a room in a hall of residence, please inform the Studierendenwerk (Student Services) of your planned day of arrival by writing to wohnenstw-greifswaldde. Please also inform the University of Greifswald’s International Office by writing to incominguni-greifswaldde.

If you would like to cancel your exchange, please contact incominguni-greifswaldde.
We can reimburse 78 euros. This corresponds to the amount of the enrolment fee. The missing amount is the cost of the processing fees. If you would like to cancel your exchange, we will send you the paperwork for the deregistration and reimbursement of the semester fee.

• Inform the Office of the Rectorate immediately (coronauni-greifswaldde, or over the phone via 420 1104, Ms. Hosemann)
• Please inform the International Office (incominguni-greifswaldde).
•  The existing obligation to inform the Gesundheitsamt (Public Health Office) remains unaffected.
• You must observe the quarantine measures issued by the respective Public Health Office.

• Contact your local Gesundheitsamt (Public Health Office) immediately.
• Inform the Office of the Rectorate (corona@uni-greifswald.de, or over the phone via 420 1104, Ms. Hosemann).
• If applicable, inform your line manager/superior.
• Do not access the university premises within 14 days after having been in direct contact with a person who has a (confirmed) case of COVID-19.
• Avoid any unnecessary contact with other persons for a period of 14 days after having been in direct contact with an infected person (this obligation will have usually already been issued by the Public Health Office).