Information COVID-19

Jacobs University’s primary commitment, besides offering a first-class education, is to keep its community – students, staff, partners, and guests – safe and healthy.

With regard to the ongoing global spread of COVID-19, Jacobs University has taken intensive measures to protect all students, guests and staff members at a very early stage.

Already in January, Jacobs University established an internal coronavirus task force in which members of all areas of the university are represented. Consisting of various departments this task force monitors available data and all developments in regards to the virus off-campus and on-campus, decides on further measures and prepares their implementation. This includes gathering information and recommendations from the "World Health Organization", the "Robert Koch Institute", one of the most important bodies for the safeguarding of public health in Germany, the Federal Ministry of Health and the "Gesundheitsamt Bremen” (Bremen’s Health Office).

Ensuring health and safety means taking actions that aim to limit exposure of Jacobs community members to the virus, imposing social distancing, and generally elevating preventive hygiene practices across the campus.

Jacobs University has implemented a number of actions intended to prevent the virus from spreading on campus.

Coordinated by the task force, all members of our community receive direct and regular information through

• Jacobs University’s intranet
• Posters, which were put up in all residential colleges and common rooms
• Update emails from the university’s leadership
• Peer group and individual communication
• Social media channel
• Video conferences
• Regulary direct briefings with student representatives

Jacobs University recommends its community members to take all precautionary measures available to stay healthy:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are unavailable. In order to enable this, Jacobs University has installed hand disinfectant dispensers in all serveries, the coffee bar and all relevant administrative offices. Also, free individual disinfection dispensers are available to all Jacobs affiliates.
• Maintain social distancing (maintain at least 1.5 meters distance.)
• Refrain from touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization

Germany has decided to make mouth and nose covers compulsory on public transport, while shopping, in certain public spaces and in all indoor areas where people can’t keep a minimum distance of 1.5 meters from another person. You do not have to wear a medical face mask. A scarf or a simple mouth and nose cover is sufficient. The same rules apply on the Jacobs University campus.

See also these recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO)

We encourage the entire Jacobs Community to use the official "Corona-Warn-App" of the German government to fight the further spread of COVID-19.

The Corona-Warn-App helps us to determine whether we have had any contact with an infected person which could result in a risk of catching the virus. This way, we can interrupt chains of infection more quickly. The app is a service by the Federal Government. Download and use of the app are entirely voluntary. It is available as a free download in the App Store as well as in the Google Play Store.

With the aim of curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and depending on current developments, the Federal Government and the Federal States (including the State of Bremen) agreed to adapt the respective guidelines for behavior and for freedom of movement and mobility. These are binding for all people staying in Germany.

• You can find the latest information and regulations from the German government on COVID-19 here (GERMAN only).
• The latest information on the situation in Bremen (number of current COVID-19 cases, recommended precaution measures and links to the offices and departments in charge) is available here.

Accordingly, Jacobs University regularly adapts its guidelines for social behavior on the campus to the legal requirements. Appropriate changes and adjustments are communicated to students, staff and faculty members, partners and guests on campus as required.

An overview of current corona regulations on the campus of Jacobs University can be accessed here.

All regulations and guidelines must be respected and will be enforced by campus and local authorities.
We understand these are massive restrictions on campus life and our personal freedom. Please know that none of us have a choice at this point. All these rules are from the highest federal authority intended to protect us all from the ongoing pandemic.

Jacobs University continuously strives to expand options to protect the members of our community within the scope of our possibilities.
 
In view of the continuously changing number of corona cases in Germany and in Bremen, and the increasing demand for COVID-19 tests, the Bremen Health Authority has issued instructions and recommendations for personal examinations. Also, these regulations and procedures may change in time.  
 
In case you suffer from fever, cough, or respiratory symptoms OR have had direct contact with confirmed cases of COVID-19  

• First contact your primary care physician by telephone! Do not go directly to the doctor's practice or the corona ambulance!   
• Outside the regular office hours of your doctor's practice – like in the evening/night and during the weekend – you can call the Central Health Service of Bremen: CALL 0421-116 117  
• Calls may take a while to get answered. And the Central Health Service of Bremen is running a German language telephone information service, so please wait until a contact person is answering directly. Stay on the line and answer all the questions.  
• Follow the instructions  

Be prepared to answer the following questions:  

• General Information: name, last name, mailing address, your health insurance number and provider  
• Symptoms: what kind of symptoms like fever, cough, breathing difficulties, or any other respiratory symptoms do you experience? Since when? Have you already sought medical advice?   
• Travel History: what is your travel history in the last 2 months? In which cities, regions, and countries have you been, when and how long?  
• Contact History: have you been in contact with people infected with coronavirus? (When, where, who?)  

 
IMPORTANT: In case a student gets tested positive for COVID-19, we ask him/her to inform Jacobs University immediately by e-mail: healthinfo [at] jacobs-university.de. We urge all students to follow this process since an immediate information flow is of the utmost importance in taking all precautions to contain a further spread of the virus on campus. The same process applies if you are in an ordered quarantine by the Bremen Public Health Office.   

In case you are in ordered quarantine by the Bremen Public Health Office caused by a positive test for COVID-19 or by direct contact with a positive-tested person and need urgent medical assistance:  

• Call your primary care physician, the Bremen Central Health Service or the Emergency Number 112 - and ALWAYS state clearly that you are in quarantine!

Support from your Health Insurance Provider

For students who are insured by the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), there are two "TK-MediCall" phone numbers of the medical advisory center available. The callers can speak directly with doctors:   

• German speaking hotline: 040-46 06 - 61 91 60   
• English speaking hotline: 040 - 46 06 61 91 40  

 For students who are insured by the AOK, there are two German-language hotlines of the “AOK-Clarimedis” service:  

• Free of Charge for AOL members: 0800 1 265 265  
• Phone number from abroad (charges apply): 0049 3085614293  

 
The city of Bremen has set up a general information hotline: under the telephone number 0049 421 115 you can get information (in German) about the coronavirus in Bremen.

Despite or perhaps even because of this challenging time, Jacobs University is looking forward to the ongoing academic year 2020/21 semester. As planned the Fall 2020 semester began on 1 September.

Jacobs University continuously strives to optimize its teaching and research offerings by balancing the wish and need for individual academic offerings with the necessary health protection for all members of our community. This includes in particular all considerations of the further continuation of in situ academic operations and a partly or full switch to online teaching.

In order to do so, the Jacobs University’s Academic Leadership Group has developed an internal action plan on gradual and specific adaptations of academic operations. This action plan is valid throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (academic year 2020/2021). It is based on the legal framework in Germany and in Bremen. The measures refer to different escalation levels, taking into account class sizes as well as pedagogic factors. The interventions outlined in this action plan are embedded in a broader set of university measures, which include a variety of protective measures, an internal tracing system, as well as support for the students affected.

Nevertheless, all our measures and initiatives have to comply with the regulations of the Federal Republic of Germany and of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions are in place for entering Germany from a large number of countries. Moreover, individuals are often obliged to self-isolate for a specific period. Details are available here. Individuals who enter the Federal Republic of Germany by land, sea or air must present a medical certificate stating that they are COVID-19 negative if they had stayed at any time during the last 14 days prior to entry in a coronavirus risk area (risk area).

The medical certificate must be in German or English. It has to be based on a molecular biological test for the presence of an infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which was carried out in a member state of the European Union or in another state listed by the Robert Koch Institute on its website. The molecular biological test, if it has been carried out before entering into the Federal Republic of Germany, must not be carried out more than 48 hours before entry into the Federal Republic of Germany.

The obligation does not apply to people who have only transited through a risk area and have not stopped over there.

FAQ provided by the Federal Ministry of Health regarding corona testing when traveling to Germany can be accessed here.

Please, find more information about entering Germany and the possibilities for a corona test in our general Jacobs University Coronavirus FAQ section.

Our overriding principle is to protect the health and safety of our employees and our students – who not only learn, and research here, but also live on campus.
For about 1,000 students the Jacobs campus is their home during the semester. They all have both, a study and rental contracts with Jacobs University, which all remain fully valid during the regular period of a semester.
Given this, Jacobs University has all intentions of continuing to keep the residential colleges open, as the majority of the students have an ongoing need of accommodation, catering, and community support.
The university is making all necessary arrangements to maintain the operations in this domain, even in the event of some students needing to be quarantined.   
Moreover, our contact with the Bremen health authorities and with the State of Bremen indicates that we need not expect them to force closure of the campus and its colleges.

In March 2020, the university asked all employees to work remotely whenever possible. The option of mobile working will remain until 31 December 2020.

All employees and external service providers on campus must strictly observe the applicable safety and hygiene measures.

Jacobs University`s Academic Leadership Group has developed special “Guidelines for Teaching” for the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find further information in the Jacobs University Coronavirus FAQ section.

Also within our research laboratories the safety of our coworkers and students is our utmost concern. As an additional precautionary measure against the spread of the coronavirus and in alignment with emerging requirements of the City of Bremen, we have implemented different guidelines for the experimental research laboratories in order to allow a secure reduced operation. You can find more information on these guidelines in our FAQ section.

As an international university, members of Jacobs University’s community not only have their roots all over the world – our community members typically also travel a lot.

Jacobs University has canceled all university-related trips to countries severely affected by the coronavirus. This regulation applies to all risk areas identified by the Robert Koch Institute.

Regarding private journeys, we kindly ask all members of Jacobs Community – students, their parents, staff, faculty – to take into account that we are dealing with a global pandemic affecting an increasing number of countries worldwide, including Germany, but also many of our students’ home countries. This may impact international air travel and restrict movement through border closures in unforeseen ways. In addition, travel itself may entail a heightened risk. With regard to travel guidelines or regulations, please visit the website of the World Health Organization (WHO), the continuously updated list of risk areas by the German Robert Koch Institute (German speaking), the respective travel information of your home country (such as the “Foreign Office” in case of German citizens) or the information of the respective airlines.

In the event of any COVID-19 cases on campus, we have taken measures to ensure that housing and catering facilities are maintained open as far as possible.

Below, you can find a selection of hotlines that provide information about COVID-19 throughout Germany:

• Independent patient consultation Germany - 0800 011 77 22
• “Citizens' Telephone” by the Federal Ministry of Health - ++49 30 346 465 100
• Consultation service for deaf and hearing-impaired people - Fax: ++49 30 / 340 60 66-07, Mail: info.deaf [at] bmg.bund(dot)de / info.gehoerlos [at] bmg.bund(dot)de
• Sign phone (video telephony) - https://www.gebaerdentelefon.de/bmg

For general questions with regard to the COVID-19, you can reach us at corona [at] jacobs-university.de.

This page will be updated in case of any relevant changes in the risk situation and of any measures introduced by the Federal Republic of Germany, the State of Bremen or Jacobs University.