FAQ about the coronavirus

As of 20 March 2022, there are no longer any access restrictions for universities. To enter university buildings, 3-G proof (vaccinated, recovered or tested) is no longer required. The 3-G requirement at the workplace also no longer applies. An exception applies as of 16 March 2022 for employees who work in areas with a facility-based vaccination requirement and who must be required to present valid proof of vaccination or recovery. The obligation to track contacts no longer applies.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) continues to recommend compliance with the so-called AHA+A+L rules (distance, hygiene, everyday mask, Corona-Warn-App, ventilation). Masks are no longer mandatory at Friedrich Schiller University. However, it is still strongly recommended to wear a qualified mouth-nose protection (medical/FFP2 mask) inside the university – especially in larger groups and if the minimum distance of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained.

A video on how to wear best and handle FFP2-masks can be found hereExternal link (German only).

Courses can be held face-to-face without distancing. With the exception of the Faculty of Medicine, there are no longer any prescribed upper limits for participants.

Pay attention to hygiene (e.g. cough and sneeze etiquette) and use the federal government's Corona-Warn-AppExternal link. If this is used by everyone, it is a very effective tool for breaking chains of infection at an early stage.

Manual ventilation is mandatory in rooms without mechanical ventilation. As a basic rule for office rooms: ventilate hourly over the entire window area for 3 minutes (in winter) or 10 minutes (in summer); meeting and seminar rooms, as well as lecture halls without mechanical ventilation should be ventilated every 20 minutes. In addition, ventilation should be provided for 15 minutes after each course (but at least every 90 minutes).

Larger events, congresses and conferences can be held again.

Please observe the current operational hygiene concept of the University of Jena[pdf, 139 kb · de] (German only).

As of Monday, 9 May 2022, masks are no longer mandatory at Friedrich Schiller University. However, it is still strongly recommended to wear a qualified mouth-nose protection (medical/FFP2 mask) inside the university – especially in larger groups and if the minimum distance of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained.

A video on how to wear best and handle FFP2-masks can be found hereExternal link (German only).

The following rules must be observed in buildings and on university premises:

• People showing COVID-19 symptoms (signs of a cold or flu, loss of sense of smell and taste, fever, cough, shortness of breath) should preventively stay at home. They are advised not to enter the university;
• Persons entering from a virus variant area abroad (currently no designated areas) are subject to quarantine (see question 2 in the block "General questions on the Corona pandemic"). They are not allowed to enter the university;
• When working on-site, you need to comply with the current operational hygiene concept of the University of Jena[pdf, 139 kb · de] (German only).

With the exception of the cafeteria vegeTable, all dining halls and cafeterias of the Studierendenwerk Thüringen are open again for students and employees. In-house eating is just as possible as taking food home. Cash payment is not possible. The reduced price for students and employees is only available when paying with the thoska.

The exact opening hours and up-to-date information can be found on the Studierendenwerk websiteExternal link.

Please observe the regulations of the city of JenaExternal link as well as the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI)External link on quarantine for contact persons (German only).

If you have cold symptoms (even very mild ones), stay preventively at home . Do not go to a test centre, but first contact your general practitioner's office, the health department responsible for you or the on-call health insurance service (telephone: +49 116 117) to discuss how to proceed.

Immediately put yourself in self-isolation and inform as soon as possible:

• the health department of the city of JenaExternal link (German only)
• your lecturers or students, if you attended or conducted face-to-face courses in the last two days before the test was taken or before the onset of the first symptoms
• close contacts

Please observe the regulations of the city of JenaExternal link as well as the RKI recommendations on the duration of isolationExternal link (German only).

In case of questions regarding the current situation in Jena, the number of cases, general rulings, as well as advisory and information services provided by the City of Jena, please visit https://gesundheit.jena.de/en/coronavirus.External link

For up-to-date information on the situation at the University, please see this overview of FAQ and visit our blogExternal link.

You can find an overview of the entry regulations hereExternal link. Please visit the website of the Robert Koch InstituteExternal link or the Federal Foreign OfficeExternal link and the city of JenaExternal link for up-to-date information on further regulations and exceptions.

The "Increased risk" alert in the Corona-Warn-App only informs the user that there is an increased risk of infection due to the proximity and duration of a contact with a person who has reported a positive test result via the App, and recommends that the user contact their physician, the medical on-call service 116 117 or the health authority by telephone. The decision on a sick leave or the order of a home isolation (quarantine) is made by the treating physician or the responsible public health department based on their own assessment.

Comply with the operational hygiene concept of the University[pdf, 139 kb · de] (German only) currently in force which are part of the University's infection prevention concept.

Take the following simple actions: maintain a distance from other people, practice good hand hygiene, wear a face covering (surgical mask or FFP2 mask), use the Corona-Warn-App and ensure sufficient ventilation of rooms.

Avoid:

• enclosed spaces with insufficient ventilation
• gatherings of people
• conversations with others without keeping distance

Wherever possible and appropriate, activities should be carried out in the home office with the approval of the employee's superiors.

You can always get up-to-date information from these institutions:

Robert Koch InstituteExternal link
Information of the Federal Centre for Health Education on infection prevention (in German)External link
Information of the Federal Ministry of Health on COVID-19External link
Federal Institute for Vaccines and BiomedicinesExternal link
Public Health Department of the City of JenaExternal link

The Corona pandemic has led to such an overload of work in some areas, especially in the social sector, that volunteers are needed. If you would like to volunteer, you can find a selection of opportunities worthy of support here.

• The Freiwilligenagentur (Volunteer Agency)External link of the Bürgerstiftung Jena is always happy to welcome new members. The contact person is Heidi Scheller (phone: 03641 6392923, e-mail: scheller@buergerstiftung-jena.de).
• Medical students or people with previous medical training who would like to get involved can contact Karsten Krohn at the University Hospital Jena krohn@med.uni-jena.de. He coordinates the assignments of these volunteers with medical training.

The situation is not easy for anyone. Worries about health, financial difficulties or loneliness due to fewer social and physical contacts can be very stressful.

The pastoral care of the Faculty of Theology offers help and counselling. You can reach them Mondays to Fridays from 4 to 6 pm under the telephone number  +49 3641 9-42666 and furthermore via the contact form [de] or an email to seelsorge@uni-jena.de. You will receive feedback and a personal contact in a timely manner.

Students can also contact the psychosocial counsellingExternal link of the Studierendenwerk Thüringen.

Further information on help and advice can be found on the blog of the University of JenaExternal link.

Other testing opportunities

The city of Jena publishes all testing opportunities in Jena on its websiteExternal link. Current information and the opening hours of the rapid test centers are also listed there.

The rapid tests are not suitable for symptomatic persons (contact your general practitioner!), companies or institutions with their own testing regime (e.g. senior citizen facilities). Also, a free test to end a quarantine cannot be performed at the rapid test center. Only the health department team can declare a quarantine terminated.