Coronavirus

As the future development of the situation is hard to predict, it is important to keep informed about the latest developments. We suggest to regularly check (one of the) the following websites:

English Language

Global situation

• World Health Organization (WHO)
• IATA Travel Centre (Updated information on travel restrictions)

European situation

• European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

German situation

• German Federal Ministry of Health
• Robert-Koch-Institute (limited information in English)

Situation in Bavaria

• Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting, BR)

German Language

• Robert-Koch-Institut
• Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit

Other Languages

The Bayerische Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting, BR) is now providing Bavarian-specific information on the Corona virus outbreak in several languages:

Arabic

Croatian

Italian

Turkish

The Bavarian Prime Minister announced that there will be exit restrictions - starting from Saturday, March 21. He appealed to the population to stay at home.

What does that mean?

• Group formations and gatherings of people are prohibited. This also applies to private assemblies, parties, etc.
• Leisure facilities remain closed (e.g. museums, cinemas, sports halls, bars, clubs, gyms, etc.). Hairdressers, DIY stores and garden centers as well.
• Restaurants of any kind are also closed, but they can still sell or deliver food to-go.
• Going to work, to the doctor or buying essential items is allowed. Facilities that are necessary for everyday life will remain open (supermarkets, drug stores, pharmacies, etc.).
• Sports or walking outdoors are possible, but only on your own, with the family or with pets.

These restrictions apply temporarily until April 19, 2020 and are controlled by the police. Anyone who violates the rules must expect high fines.

Please see the notice from the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care or the English website of the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporaion (BR24) for more information.

Summer Semester 2020: The lecture period at the UR starts on April 20, 2020. The end of the lecture period is postponed to August 7, 2020.

Starting April 20, and continuing step-by-step, online courses and partial digital formats of the courses announced will be offered. Depending of the development of the pandemic, the teaching being offered may be supplemented by restarting classroom teaching.
The modified teaching program for the summer semester 2020 is planned to be published by April 15, 2020.

For further information please see the official UR information website on dealing with the coronavirus.

... International Exchange Students:

Current official international Corona risk areas
(defined by the German Robert-Koch Institute, as of April 6, 9:10am CET)

• Austria: whole country
• Egypt: whole country
• Italy: whole country
  
• Iran: whole country
• France: whole country
• Netherlands: whole country
• South Korea:  Deagu, Province Gyeongsangbuk-do (Nord-Gyeongsang)
• Spain: whole country
• Switzerland: whole country
• USA: whole country
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: whole country

Exchange Students who plan on arriving in March or April, please note:

• The Pre-semester Intensive Language Course (ILC) had to be cancelled.
• Orientation will be conducted online, rather than face-to-face.
• The lecture period at the UR starts on April 20, 2020. The end of the lecture period is postponed to August 7, 2020. Starting April 20, and continuing step-by-step, online courses and partial digital formats of the courses announced will be offered (please see further above: Summer Semester 2020: Organisation and Course Offer ).
• Regularly check your emails for updates from the IO.
• Students from risk areas: Students who plan to arrive in April are required to stay in private quarantine for 14 days before they are allowed to go to campus. This is a problem with regards to housing as we usually have shared facilities. Please cancel your exchange stay, as it is impossible for us to accommodate you for the time of your quarantine and to help you get supplies.

Students who already are in Regensburg:

• Students who have come to Regensburg from one of the official risk areas have to stay in private quarantine for 14 days after their arrival in Regensburg.
• Since face-to-face contacts are now prohibited at the UR, we do not have office hours. Please contact us by phone or email. (⇒ contact information)
• Regularly check your email accounts for updates from the IO.

... International Guest Researchers and PhD students:

• Please also refer to UR's official corona website, which contains guidelines for employees, such as information on business trips.
• If you are having any questions or concerns, please contact the Welcome Center.

Please help reduce the spread of the virus and practice good hygiene:

• Often and thoroughly wash your hands with soap.
• Observe sneezing and coughing etiquette, i.e. sneeze/cough into a tissue and dispose of the tissue; if no tissue is available sneeze/cough into the bend of your arm instead of using the hand. Turn away from other persons!
• Use tissues only once and then dispose of them safely.
• Wherever possible, avoid close contact to other persons, i.e. keep a distance of at least 1m (6feet) and refrain from hand shaking.
• Frequently air your room / office / bathroom /kitchen area.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands when they are not clean.
• Avoid large crowds with close contact.

Please see the webpages listed under "General Information" for further information on hygiene.

 
Wherever possible, keep track of places you visited and persons you talked to.
Only with as much information as possible the authorities can reconstruct the way the virus took from one person to the next, and break the chain of infection.

At the moment all three types of viruses are known to circulate Germany. One important difference between an influenza infection and common cold is that with influenza the onset is typically sudden, i.e. symptoms tend to occur “out of the blue” and in force; in contrast to this, the common cold usually starts with a sore throat, followed by runny nose and then cough, developing over days rather than hours. Unfortunately, for the Corona virus there is no such “tell” yet; so the infection is difficult to diagnose by symptoms alone.
No matter which of the three infections you might have caught, it is always good advice to stay at home and limit your contacts if you are sick.

If you experience symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath/ difficulty breathing, please ask yourself:

• Have I visited a Covid-19 risk area* during the last 14 days?
  
• Have I had contact to a person known to be infected by Covid-19 during the last 14 days?

If EITHER of the answers above is YES, please isolate yourself at home and proceed as explained below “If you suspect an infection”.
If BOTH answers are NO, it is unlikely that you have a Covid-Infection. In this case, please stay at home if possible, start treatment for the common cold, monitor your condition.

Should EITHER of the answers change to YES or your condition deteriorate significantly, please proceed as explained below “If you suspect an infection” and phone a doctor immediately.

If you suspect an infection, or come into close contact with a person known to be infected by Covid-19, please follow these guidelines:

• If you already have a General Practitioner (GP) in Regensburg: Contact your GP by telephone and ask how to proceed.
• If you are new to Regensburg or cannot reach your GP: Please contact the “Doctors on Call Service” run by the Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVB) by calling: 116 117
  The line is available 24/7 throughout all of Bavaria.
• If it is an emergency, call the ambulance services by dialing 112.

Under no circumstances go to a doctor or a hospital yourself if you suspect an infection with Covid-19. Always call a doctor or the On-Call-Service first in order to get advice on how best to proceed.