Information on the Coronavirus for Students

The university is committed to recording suspected cases of Corona at an early stage so that protective measures can be taken as quickly as possible. Employees, students and guests are requested to immediately report a confirmed Corona infection or a quarantine requirement to the Occupational Safety and Healthcare Management Department by sending an e-mail to corona@hs-gm.de or by calling +49 6722 502 285 or 0170 2857749, if there was any personal contact at the university within a period of five days before the first symptoms appeared.

If there is a confirmed Corona infection and the person was at work in the five days before the first symptoms appeared, the workplace should not be used for a period of at least 36 hours, after which contact surfaces should be cleaned with standard household cleaning agents. Cleaning of contact surfaces after a Corona infection can be requested from the Infrastructure Department (haustechnik(at)hs-gm.de).

In general, the infection rate of Corona viruses on inanimate, dry surfaces decreases rapidly at room temperature or higher temperatures. According to current knowledge, shared files and papers do not pose a risk of infection if the contamination occurred more than 24 hours ago.

Regardless of the regular cleaning of surfaces, it is important to wash your hands regularly (20 seconds with soap) and to avoid touching your own face.

Notification procedure for suspected infection:

Immediately inform your Head of Department / Manager / lecturer of all the facts:

• Quarantine requirements from the Health Authority / due to travel regulations
• Contact with an infected person
• Suspicion of COVID-19 infection
• positive Corona test

Then immediately notify corona(at)hs-gm.de and +49 6722 502 285 or 01702857749.
The neccessary steps will then be undertaken.

In case of a positive corona test or suspected COVID-19 infection, a list of people must be compiled with whom there has been direct contact at the workplace within the last five days (Contact Category I: face-to-face, i.e. any contact that lasted longer than 15 min and with a distance of <1.5 m without wearing a mask). These people must be informed and leave the workplace immediately and quarantine until contacted by the health authorities, who will usually impose an official quarantine, or until a negative test result is obtained.
All further decisions are made by the health authorities.

If you are not contacted by the health authorities, please contact corona(at)hs-gm.de after 3 days at the latest to discuss further action.
Superiors are obliged to ensure that all colleagues employed on site can be reached by telephone at all times. This private data should not be available to third parties.

You have had a confirmed or suspected stage 2 contact with a person who is ill with COVID-19 (Contact Category II, i.e. direct contact with a distance of less than 1.5 m but while wearing a mask or a contact that lasted less than 15 min)? You have had no direct contact but had contact to a direct contact person?Please describe the situation in writing (corona(at)hs-gm.de) or by phone +49 6722 502 285 immediately, so that further measures, e.g. home office can be discussed.

Anyone entering Germany who was in a high-risk area in the 10 days prior to arriving in Germany or anyone entering Hesse from a high-risk area must immediately self-quarantine for 10 days. A region is considered high-risk if the number of newly infected persons has more than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants within the last seven days, see the RKI (Robert Koch Institute) list of designated  high-risk areas. Please note that the list of areas may change daily.

If you are entering from a high-risk area, you are obliged to register online, prior to arrival, at www.einreiseanmeldung.de, and then to go directly to your accommodation immediately after entering the country. For a period of 10 days after your entry you must quarantine in your accommodation. During this period you cannot be visited by anyone who does not belong to your household. You are solely responsible for maintaining the domestic quarantine. The local health authorities will be notified via your online registration, in order to check that you are keeping to the mandatory quarantine period.

You can take a test, at the earliest after 5 days in quarantine (recognized tests: https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Tests.html). A negative test result means the quarantine period can end. You should keep the test result and the online registration details for at least 10 days after arrival and be prepared to show them to the health authorities upon request. If the test is positive you should follow the procedure listed above under 'Corona infections'.

The quarantine rules are lifted for the carrying out of the test only. You should go directly to the test center (see list below) and then must return directly to your place of quarantine, where you are required to remain until you receive your test result. Please take your online registration with you in order to be exempt from test fees within 10 days of arrival from high-risk areas (valid until December 1, 2020).

Can I exempt myself from the quarantine and notification obligation? Yes, if you will stay at the destination for a maximum of 5 days and can present a negative molecular biological test (PCR test). An antibody test is not sufficient.

It is expected that no trips to countries outside Germany will be undertaken if the Federal Government has classified the trip as risky and it is not urgently necessary. As of October 1, 2020 a travel warning will automatically be issued for Corona risk areas.

Test Centers:

• Wiesbaden: Wörther-See-Straße 14, 65187 Wiesbaden, "Drive In". Opening hours: Monday - Friday; 9a.m. - 1p.m.
• Bioscentia Ingelheim (opposite side of the Rhein river), Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 17, 55218 Ingelheim: Opening hours: Monday - Friday; 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. & Saturday; 8 a.m. - 12 noon. Tel. (for appointment) +49 6132 781-7777
• Frankfurt Airport: https://www.frankfurt-airport.com/de/lokationen/corona-testzentren.html

Government information for travellers and commuters:
https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/coronavirus/faq-reisen-1735032

Current Foreign Office travel warnings:
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/reise-und-sicherheitshinweise

RKI important information and recommendations for people travelling to Germany:
https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Transport/BMG_Merkblatt_Reisende_Tab.html

Information on the designation of international risk areas by the German Foreign Office, BMG and BMI
https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebiete_neu.html

High-risk regions in Germany:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/478220a4c454480e823b17327b2bf1d4/page/page_1/

Employees returning to Germany from a high-risk country must inform Human Resources without request by sending an e-mail to corona(at)hs-gm.de .

In addition, please refer to the Regulation to Control the Corona Virus, dated March 13, 2020, in its applicable version. For persons with a confirmed Corona infection and contact persons of category I with close contact ("higher" risk of infection) according to the RKI definition, the obligation to be physically present is lifted for 14 days, provided that public health authorities do not impose self-isolation. During that time, employees will work from home, if possible, using their office laptops. Affected employees must inform their departments without delay if home quarantine has been imposed.

If an infection is confirmed by a positive test result, the doctor reports the result to the public health authorities. People with suspected COVID-19 infection or a confirmed positive Corona test must stay away from the university/work place.

The public health authorities will then contact the person concerned and, if necessary, the university in order to determine further contact people. The following protocol is used:

• For contact people in Category 1 (high risk of infection: e.g. direct conversation or living together) the public health authorites usually order a home quarantine.
• For contact people in Category 2 (low risk of infection: e.g. people who spent time in the same room such as seminar rooms, lecture halls, etc., special measures are not usually applied. The contact person must, however, inform HGU via corona(at)hs-gm.de immediately in order to discuss further measures (see also FAQ: Notification Procedure fur Suspected Infections / Definition of Contact Categories)

Contact people in Category II or other contact people (contact to an infected person with a distance of more than 1.5 m or spending time in the same room) do not belong to the closer circle of contact people. Therefore, no quarantine regulations apply to them. As an additional preventive measure for contact persons in Category II, we refer to the possibility of working from home. Nevertheless, there are some information to be observed for 14 days after an infection has occured:

• Continuously watch for symptoms during that period
• If you should develop symptoms of respiratory diseases, such as cough, fever, chills or an inhibited sense of taste and smell, please call your general practitioner, ask for a sick note and then contact the public health authorites
• Wash your hands regularly, observe the cough and sneeze etiquette and always wear a mouth and nose covering in places where it is not possible to keep your distance
• Please reduce your social contacts to people belonging to a risk group as much as possible during that period (elderly people, people with a weakened immune system or a chronical illness)
• Participant lists must always be kept and saved in case of enquiries from the public health authorities for contact person tracking (either via e-guest or with paper forms)

The Hessian Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts (HMWK) has defined the winter semester 2020/21 as a hybrid semester with a combination of digital and face-to-face teaching, with the individual universities responsible for the organization.

In contrast to the previous summer semester, all types of university courses can thus be held again in the winter semester, taking into account the distance and hygiene rules, limited seating capacity and, if necessary, the creation of specific hygiene concepts. Responsibility for compliance with the rules lies with the respective lecturers.

In general, the entire teaching should be offered digitally. Exceptions apply similarly to the summer semester (lab exercises, excursions, sports). The digital courses ensure that all students can continue their studies, even if they cannot or are not allowed to enter the university, either individually or as a group.

The Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) recommends that, as in the case of influenza and other respiratory diseases, people should protect themselves from transmission of the corona virus by keeping a distance of at least 1.5 metres, washing their hands regularly and thoroughly, and by observing coughing and sneezing 'etiquette'. Detailed hygiene recommendations can be found at www.infektionsschutz.de/coronavirus-sars-cov-2.html. Rooms must be ventilated regularly (please also refer to section "Ventilation"). Regular airing is also good for hygiene, as it reduces the number of fine droplets containing pathogens that may be present in the air.

1. In teaching areas on the campus, contact data will be collected in classes, exams, and other study-related events such as admissions events as well as when using work stations in libraries, or using practical, PC and learning rooms. At events over several days, contact details will be collected each day. Details will also be collected in dining facilities and other facilities with visitors, with the exception being for takeaway food and beverages. Participation in the collection of contact data is obligatory and a prerequisite for participation in classroom events and the use of the above-mentioned facilities. The name, address and telephone number of the participants as well as the title of the event will be recorded for the sole purpose of enabling the tracking of infections. The contact data is recorded using an electronic system (www.e-guest.de) or form. For data protection reasons, one form per person must be filled out and submitted to the organizer. The contact data collection forms will be kept by the organizer until the deadline expires. The data is to be kept for the duration of one month from the beginning of the event, protected from third-party access by the responsible health or public order office, and is to be transmitted to them on request or deleted or destroyed securely and in accordance with data protection regulations immediately after the deadline has expired.

Students: If you do not have a smartphone or have forgotten it and you can therefore not use the e-guest app, your fellow students can also submit your contact data (as a guest entry). In addition, it is also possible to submit contact data in paper form. Contact forms are available in all teaching rooms.

Lecturers: Please do not forget to register yourself. The forms available in the lecture halls and seminar rooms are to be handed out to students who were unable to register by smartphone. After the end of the event, the forms are to be collected in DIN A5 envelopes (with the date, place and name of the event written on it), which are also available in the room, and sent by in-house mail to P5 - Event Management; in addition, marked mailboxes will be hung up on campus. Any questions regarding QR codes and paper forms should be directed to veranstaltungen(at)hs-gm.de or the Info Point (tel. -100)

Guests and External Visitors: For persons who do not have a smartphone or have forgotten it, contact data can also be collected online by other guests (guest list) or by using paper forms. Contact forms are provided in all lecture halls and seminar rooms.

2. At internal staff meetings, minutes should be taken and kept for four weeks, in which the participants are recorded, with online participation identified. External participants are to be recorded with first name, surname and telephone number. Minutes are to be stored for a period of 4 weeks.

In buildings and also on campus, it is important to ensure that people have as little direct contact with each other as possible or that their contact is reduced to a minimum. Contact in rooms of the university, during breaks or other activities is to be kept to a minimum. Physical contact, such as shaking hands is to be avoided.

In the case of unavoidable direct contact, additional protection must be ensured! At consultation and information areas with personal contact, where the safety distance of at least 1.5 meters cannot be maintained, protective screens are provided.  Where such screens are not available and the minimum distance cannot be maintained, mouth-nose coverings must be worn.

At all times a minimum distance of at least 1.5 meters ("safety distance") must be maintained from other people in all directions, including on entry, when sitting and moving about. Where this is not possible, alternative protective measures (e.g. mouth-nose coverings) must be observed. The safety distance must be maintained in all university owned and rented buildings, parts of buildings and on the entire campus of Hochschule Geisenheim University!  Measures such as barriers, markings or access regulations are to ensure that the distance is maintained. All members of the university, users and guests are obligated to observe the measures for maintaining the safety distance. The safety distance must also be maintained when entering and leaving buildings and rooms and in queues. Group formations in buildings and on the premises are to be avoided.

A mouth and nose covering is mandatory in all buildings of Hochschule Geisenheim University (also in all 'traffic' areas such as corridors, entrance areas, stairs and elevators) with the exception being made for working in an office or in other rooms by yourself. If distance requirements (1.5 meters) cannot be observed during joint work or business travelling, wearing a FFP2 face mask or surgical mask is mandatory. In general, these items are medical disposables, but can also be re-used after drying. This regulation applies to all areas and activities at the university, in buildings, outdoors and in vehicles. The use of plastic face protection shields without wearing a mouth and nose covering in the buildings of Hochschule Geisenheim University is not permitted.

It is recommended, if possible, to take a break from wearing a mouth and nose covering or surgical mask after 3 hours (75 minutes in case of FFP2 masks), ideally for a period of at least 30 minutes.

The three main measures (AHA rules) to reduce the risk of infection must be observed: Keep your distance, observe hygiene, wear a face mask.

In particular, regular and thorough hand washing with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after class is recommended.

In addition, hand sanitizers have been installed at many building entrances.

• Staff: Buildings are accessible using keys and chipcards.
• Students: Classroom buildings will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. from October 19, 2020 .

Advice Services

The advisory services of the university administration, the degree programs and the central services are currently available by appointment. This applies, among others, to the Admissions Office and the Examinations Office, which should be contacted by telephone, e-mail or post:  List of services. The Infopoint is open. Please note the limited opening hours.

Library
Opening hours and regulations are available here:  University Library

Mens­a
Opening hours and regulations are available here: Mensa

A plan of the classroom capacities has been put together, based on hygiene and distance regulations, and cannot be changed without prior approval. The maximum capacity in compliance with distance regulations (number of seats) is to be observed. Contact details must be supplied either via www.e-guest.de (online) or paper forms (offline).

• Gerd-Erbslöh-Hörsaal (32 seats)
• Atrium (70 seats) with hybrid technology
• Aula (30 seats)
• HS 20 (25 seats)
• HS Sensorik 1 (24 seats)
• HS Sensorik 2 (30 seats)
• Sensorik GTZ (16 seats)
• HS 2 (16 seats)
• HS 3 (16 seats)
• HS 4 (20 seats)
• HS 5 (8 seats)
• HS 6 (11 seats)
• HS 7a (10 seats)
• HS 7b (10 seats)
• HS 7a (10 seats)
• HS 8 (20 seats)
• HS 9 (18 seats)
• HS 10 (28 seats)
• HS11 - contact A. Peters
• HS 12 (17 seats)
• HS 13 (10 seats)
• HS 14 (7 seats)
• HS 16 (6 seats)
• HS21 (17 seats)
• HS 32 (23 seats)
• HS 33 (9 seats)
• HS 34 (24 seats)
• HS 35 (12 seats) - PC room
• HS 44 (14 seats) 
• HS 46 (10 seats)
• HS 60 (12 seats)
• HS 61 (12 seats)
• HS 62 (9 seats)
• Gruppenraum AStA (10 seats)
• HS Praktikum RZ (19 seats)
• Lernraum LMS (11 seats)
• Arbeitsraum Monrepos 4 (4 seats)
• Arbeitsraum Studis BK (4 seats)
• PC-Raum Monrepos KG (5 seats)
• Mensa (48 seats)