General Questions

• What do the recent modifications of relevant acts and ordinances mean for KIT? (As of November 26, 2021)
• Under which conditions may events take place at KIT? (As of November 26, 2021)
• Which regulations apply to antigen rapid tests at KIT? (As of November 30, 2021)
• Which certificates are accepted for proof of 3G or 2G and how are they controlled? (As of November 30, 2021)
• Where are vaccinations offered? (As of November 30, 2021)
• What do I have to consider when entering from foreign risk areas? (As of January 18, 2021)
• What Is the Situation at the Bistro and Canteen on Campus North and at the Mensa and Cafeterias on Campus South? (As of August 18, 2021)
• The Corona App shows me a warning, how should I react? (As of February 2, 2021)
• Data collection: What must be observed according to data protection legislation? (As of August 20, 2021)
• I am an employee of an external company and work on the campus of KIT. Which rules do I have to observe? (As of November 26, 2021)
• Why is access to the buildings on Campus South, Campus West, and Campus East restricted? (As of October 13, 2021)

Face Masks

• Where are employees and students obliged to wear a face mask at the KIT? (As of March 8, 2021)
• I have a medical certificate exempting me from wearing a mouth-nose cover, what do I have to consider?  (As of October 20, 2020)

Corona virus

• What is recommended from the medical point of view? (As of October 29, 2021)
• What is to be done in the case of a Covid-19 infection at KIT? (As of November 12, 2021)
• Health authorities in Baden-Württemberg have changed their strategy for contact tracing. What does this mean? (As of November 19,2021)
• What should I do if I suspect corona symptoms or have a positive test result? (As of November 22, 2021)
• I have had contact with a person infected with the corona virus or have symptoms of an infection with the corona virus. What does this mean regarding my presence on campus? (As of October 29, 2021)
• Where and how is the risk of contracting the novel Corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) highest? How rather not? (As of March 16, 2020)
• Where can I find information about the Corona pandemic in other languages? (As of February 2, 2021)

 

General Questions

What do the recent modifications of relevant acts and ordinances mean for KIT?

In view of the infection situation in Germany due to the Covid pandemic, the Federal Parliament (Bundestag) and Federal Council (Bundesrat) adopted major modifications of acts and ordinances. The Guidelines on the Course of Business at KIT in Times of the SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) will be adapted accordingly. The most important modifications are:

• Obligation to work from home wherever this is possible and not prevented by compelling work-related reasons.
• The obligation to present proof of vaccination, recovery, or a negative test (3G) at the workplace, when presence at KIT is required.

Due to their extraordinarily high social relevance, academic education operations at KIT and at all other universities in Baden-Württemberg take place on campus to a large extent. Hence, activities required to organize necessary in-person courses and lectures represent a compelling reason for the presence of these persons. As soon as the Corona Ordinance on Academic Education Operations will have been updated, all teachers and students will be informed accordingly.

 

Corona virus

What is recommended from the medical point of view?

The Corona virus has arrived in Germany. Prevention and Attention are required, please follow the advice of the experts: 

• The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) answers the most important questions relating to the current situation at:
  https://www.rki.de/EN/Home/homepage_node.html
• Information from the Federal Ministry of Health: https://www.zusammengegencorona.de/
• Information on prevention measures, such as cough and sneeze etiquette and a good hand hygiene, is given by the authorities on the following websites, for instance:
  https://www.infektionsschutz.de/hygienetipps.html (in German)
• The Medical Services of KIT also provide information:
  https://www.med.kit.edu/246.php

In general:

• Please reduce your contacts to as few persons as possible.
• Please observe the hygiene rules.
• Please avoid touching your face, as pathogens enter the body through the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, or eyes.
• Please maintain a distance of 1.5 meters to conversation partners.
• Wear a face mask.
• Please ensure regular and thorough ventilation. The Technical Regulations for Workplaces ASR A 3.6 recommend pulse ventilation of meeting rooms every 20 minutes for over 3 minutes to allow maximum air exchange through wide-open windows. Offices should be ventilated every 60 minutes. The minimum duration of pulse ventilation depends on the temperature difference between inside and outside (in summer up to 10 minutes, in winter up to 3 minutes).
• Please resort to telephone or video conferences (e.g. using Microsoft teams or the DFNconf services of DFN-Verein)

If you have questions or need advice, please do not hesitate to contact the hotline of the State Health Office at 0711-904-39555 (on working days between 9 am and 4 pm).  
 

What is to be done in the case of a Covid-19 infection at KIT?

In the case of suspected symptoms of COVID-19, employees should stay at home or, if symptoms occur while working, go home immediately and inform their family doctor.
Since any respiratory symptoms, even a mere cold, may be indicative of a SARS-CoV-2 infection, individuals should act as if they had to prevent spreading of a severe infection and should, in addition, avoid transmitting colds in their workplace. Repeated self-testing is recommended!  If you test positive, please contact your family doctor for PCR testing. If you test negative, you are advised to reduce you contacts for five days or to wait at least 48 hours after symptoms have resolved before returning to work. A certificate of incapacity for work for a period of up to seven days can be issued by your family doctor after telephone consultation and be sent to you by email. If necessary, the validity of the certificate may be extended once for another seven days by telephone.
If you have contracted COVID-19 or have tested positive, please also inform your supervisors so that they can take further action. As soon as your supervisors and/or colleagues have been told that you have contracted Covid-19 or are free from symptoms but have been tested positive, your close contacts at work need to be identified and be informed at the earliest possible time to ensure that the chain of infection is interrupted.

 

Health authorities in Baden-Württemberg have changed their strategy for contact tracing. What does this mean?

Due to the heavy workload of health authorities in Baden-Württemberg, the contact tracing strategy has changed:

Positively tested or ill persons are no longer asked for their recent contacts. Identification of close contacts of an infected person is limited to the question of whether he or she had contact to vulnerable persons or groups of persons or whether the infected person works at a corresponding facility (e.g. care facility). Household members of the infected person are continued to be identified.

This means that infected persons should inform close contacts, e.g. at their workplace, on their own so as to enable them to take the necessary protection measures, such as testing or limitation of social contacts. However, close contacts outside of the own household are only obliged to self-isolate, if they are informed accordingly by the health authority.

If you have been in contact with students, for example,  as a lecturer, please contact us at the email address kontaktnachverfolgung∂sle.kit.edu, so that the students can be informed anonymously about the case of infection. Please indicate the exact name of the course (ideally VS number), the day and the time.

Household members or other close contacts of an infected person, who have been informed by the authority, are obliged to self-isolate (quarantine), if they are not fully vaccinated or have not recovered from Covid:

The quarantine obligation for contacts is valid for 10 days, with the possibility of shortening the quarantine duration by a test:

• On the fifth day of isolation when presenting a negative PCR test result (the swab may be taken on this day at the earliest).
• On the seventh day of isolation when presenting a negative rapid test result of a swab taken on this day at the earliest.

Positively tested persons and ill persons suffering from COVID-19 are obliged to self-isolate for 14 days.

• Exception: Persons, who are fully vaccinated and have no symptoms, may be released from quarantine after five days when presenting a negative PCR test.
• Release from isolation: The Corona Isolation Ordinance no longer requires a test after the end of the quarantine.

The first full day of quarantine is the day after the last contact to the confirmed COVID-19 case. This day is the first that counts!

The negative test results must not be presented to the health authority, but have to be taken along by the affected persons for potential controls by local police authorities. Contacts (close contacts and household members) having no symptoms may be tested according to the Corona Virus Testing Ordinance (TestV).

What should I do if I suspect corona symptoms or have a positive test result?

In case of suspected Covid-19 symptoms – What to do until the test result is known, and afterwards

• Please do not go to work but instead go home and inform your family doctor by telephone. According to §7 of the Corona Ordinance of the State of Baden-Württemberg, typical symptoms include: Fever, dry cough, olfactory disorders, and taste disorders.
• In the case of symptoms, you are requested to obtain from your family doctor a certificate stating your inability to work. If you suffer from the above typical symptoms but cannot find a doctor who approves a Covid-19 test, we recommend that you contact the public health office responsible for your place of residence (by telephone or email. You can find out about the appropriate public health office at https://tools.rki.de/PLZTool/. The KIT company physicians (Tel.: CN 22069 or CS 44313) can also provide advice at any time.
• Until the test result is known, you are requested to stay at home and work from home, in agreement with your superior, even if no symptoms persist and thus no inability to work exists. If it is not possible for you to work from home, a paid leave of absence of at most three working days according to §29 (3) TVöD/TV-L can be granted provided that these days have not been used up yet in 2021.
• Superiors who become aware of a suspected Covid-19 case are requested to contact one of the KIT Medical Services (MED) company physicians (Tel.: CN 22069, CS 44313, outside of normal office hours MED-ambulance: 22070) to seek confidential advice and obtain recommendations for further action in accordance with the privacy standards.

In the case of a positive Covid-19 test result

The points listed here should only be observed if the employee was present at the KIT during the last 48 hours before the appearance of symptoms or the smear for the corona test.

• The attending physician or the diagnostic laboratory reports the result to the responsible public health office. The latter then first informs the infected person, identifies contact persons in his or her environment, and contacts the employer to arrange further measures. The infected person will remain in domestic isolation until released (as a rule by word of mouth) by staff of the public health office.

• The quarantine period is 14 days (initially for all) SARS-CoV-2 infected persons, regardless of whether with or without symptoms; in the case of a "no-mutation" laboratory result, the quarantine may be shortened to 10 days (provided a 48 h symptom-free period).   
  In case of a detection of a VOC (SARS-CoV-2 virus variant of concern), additional regulations apply, which the health office will inform about individually.

• In order to speed up the search for contact persons, employees with a positive Covid-19 test result are requested to immediately inform their superior who in turn is requested to contact MED (Tel.: CN 22069, CS 44313, outside of normal office hours MED-ambulance: 22070) to coordinate further measures. It is particularly important to inform the employer if the infected/positive-tested person does not live in the area of responsibility of the Karlsruhe Public Health Office.

• Identifying contact persons:
  Persons who have had contact with a suspected person according to the criteria of the RKI must be registered as quickly as possible, and their names, addresses, and telephone numbers must be submitted to the public health office, unless the latter has already identified these persons on its own initiative through so-called containment scouts (if necessary, this procedure must be clarified with the public health office via the company medical services).
• Hygiene measures in the case of a confirmed Covid-19 infection at the KIT: Hygienemaßnahmen bei gesichertem Infektionsfall am Arbeitsplatz im KIT: FM-INFRA-GBR (CN: gebaeudereinigung-cn∂ASERV.kit.edu / CS: gebaeudereinigung-cs∂aserv.kit.edu) must be informed so that surfaces touched by the infected person (e.g. desk, keyboard, computer mouse) are thoroughly cleaned by trained cleaning staff before further use.

I have had contact with a person infected with the corona virus or have symptoms of an infection with the corona virus. What does this mean regarding my presence on campus?

Persons who are subject to an obligation to separate or exhibit the typical symptoms of an infection with the coronavirus (odor and taste disorders, fever, and sore throat) are neither allowed to enter the KIT campuses nor to participate in any KIT event. This prohibition of access and the resulting requirements must be clarified in such a way that persons entering the KIT premises or participating in KIT events implicitly declare that they do not fall within the group of persons whose access is prohibited. In the context of the data collection of the participants of an event, there should be an additional reference to the participation ban and its prerequisites.

 

Where and how is the risk of contracting the novel Corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) highest? How rather not?

The most important route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is considered to be a so-called droplet infection, in which the viruses are released into the air by infected people via droplets, e.g. when sneezing or coughing, and inhaled by bystanders. In special situations, transmission via aerosols (droplet nuclei, smaller than five micrometers) - for example when speaking - also seems possible. Furthermore, transmission via contact or smear infections cannot be ruled out. In this case, pathogens that are on the hands reach the mucous membranes of the nose or eye, where they can lead to infection. 

Therefore, social distancing, observance of coughing and sneezing rules, wearing of protective masks and good hand hygiene are still the most important part of prevention.

The RKI continuously updates latest information on the Corona virus: https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Steckbrief.html

https://www.infektionsschutz.de/coronavirus-sars-cov-2.html

 

Where can I find information about the Corona pandemic in other languages?

The Federal Government's Integration Officer provides up-to-date information in various languages on the following website:

https://www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/amt-und-person/informationen-zum-coronavirus

Work

• What does the obligation to present proof of vaccination, recovery, or a negative test (3G) at the workplace mean? (As of December 3, 2021)
• I work on the KIT campus. Where do I get a self-test kit? (As of November 26, 2021)
• What does the latest version of the Guidelines on the Course of Business at KIT mean for mobile working from home? (As of November 26, 2021)
• I have requested vacation. Can I cancel? (As of October 27, 2020)
• I live abroad and commute to KIT. What do I have to consider? (As of October 19, 2020)
• How can job interviews be made at the moment? (As of November 26, 2021)
• Who can advise me on technical, organizational, health and psychological matters while working from home? (As of April 3, 2020)
• I am at work at home and take part in flexitime. How do I get my times credited? (As of March 25, 2020)
• Information concerning LBV (State Office for Salary). (As of March 19, 2020)
• My user certificate for secure digital communication is expiring. How do I get a new one? (As of March 27, 2020)

Relatives

• Special paid leave or leave of absence for childcare due to current developments regarding the Corona virus (COVID 19). (As of August 3, 2021)
• I have relatives in need of care. Now their nursing staff is not available. What can I do? (As of June 9, 2020)

Travel / External Visit

• What should be noted when returning to or entering Germany from abroad? (As of September 2, 2021)
• How can business trips be conducted with the current developments and general conditions in mind? (As of September 23, 2021)
• I expect guests from a designated international risk area. What should I consider? (As of September 2, 2021)

General

• I have been put in quarantine. What do I need to know? (As of October 5, 2021
• What has to be considered during face-to-face meetings and other gatherings at KIT? (As of November 26, 2021)
• May the Corona App be installed on mobile work phones? (As of June 16, 2020)
• I am in a risk group. What are my possibilities regarding my work at KIT? (As of April 29, 2020)
• What am I supposed to do, if I or members of my household have been put in quarantine by order of authority? (As of March 25, 2020)
• I would like to wash my hands, but there is no soap in the next lavatory or paper tissues are lacking. What can I do? (As of March 10, 2020)

 

Work

What does the obligation to present proof of vaccination, recovery, or a negative test (3G) at the workplace mean?

Workplaces, at which physical contacts to other persons cannot be excluded, may only be accessed by persons, who provide proof of vaccination, recovery, or a negative test, present this proof wherever needed, or have deposited it at their employer’s.

These proofs must be controlled and documented by the employer. At KIT, this is done in line with KIT’s governance structure. This means that superiors control their employees and document this as legally required. The control is to focus on the validity of the certificate. In case of a daily control, it is sufficient to note down the day of control (date) and the first and last names as well as to document the fact that a control was made by ticking off the name. If no daily control takes place, the date of validity of the certificate must be documented. It is not permitted to store the data electronically. Documentation must be made in the form of paper lists. The documentation is to be kept only as long as required for specific operational reasons and is to be deleted at the latest at the end of the sixth month after its compilation in accordance with data protection requirements. It must be ensured that unauthorized persons (e.g. other employees) do not obtain any knowledge of the data collected. Depositing a 3G proof with the superior is permitted on a voluntary basis exclusively. Information on data protection in accordance with Article 13 GDPR can be found in Annex 9.6.2 of the Guidelines on the Course of Business at KIT in Times of the SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) Pandemic. The respective executive staff must provide the employees checked with a data privacy statement. As a person checking staff on their 3G status, please ensure that the data privacy statement correctly maps the data processing process. In case of questions or need for advice, contact the Data Protection Staff Unit (dsb∂kit.edu).

It must be borne in mind that all proofs are valid for limited periods of time: Vaccination: 1 year, recovery: 180 days, PCR test: 48 hours, rapid antigen test: 24 hours. These periods may change.

Apart from tests made and certified by test centers, it is also possible to test yourself under the supervision of superiors or persons authorized by them. This must be agreed upon between the persons to be tested and their superiors. All employees working on campus are provided with two self-test kits per week by KIT. As outlined in the FAQ of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (question 1.1.17), employees are not entitled to the employer - as part of his obligation to offer test kits according to Article 4, SARS-CoV-2 Arbeitsschutzverordnung - offering tests that meet the requirements of Article 28b, par. 1, IFSG.

As before, it is also possible to undergo testing at KIT’s Medical Services Unit in special cases when the need is confirmed by the superior.

In general, employees, who are not vaccinated or have not recovered from Covid, are obliged to present a valid negative test certificate to their superiors before starting their work. Without any proof of a negative test, work on campus will not be permitted. If persons do not present proof of a negative test, unpaid leave will result. The superiors must inform PSE accordingly.

 

I work on the KIT campus. Where do I get a self-test kit?

Employees working on the KIT campus must present proof of a negative test, if they have not recovered from Covid or if they are not vaccinated. Apart from tests made and certified by test centers, it is also possible to test yourself under the supervision of superiors or persons authorized by them. This must be agreed upon between the persons to be tested and their superiors. Employees are not entitled to such testing.
For more information on the obligation to provide proof of 3G at the workplace, click here.

All employees working on the KIT Campus are provided with antigen rapid test kits according to the valid Corona Occupational Safety Ordinance. These self-test kits are made available by the heads of the organizational units who can order the tests via the supplier relationship management system. If you work on the KIT Campus, contact the head of your organizational unit.

In the case of a positive test result, self-isolate immediately and inform your family physician or make an appointment for a PCR test via the central phone number 116 117.

Please note in any case: Also negatively tested employees must comply with the requirements specified in the “Guidelines on the Course of Business at KIT in Times of the SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) Pandemic” (no test bonus). This guarantees the safety of all.

Information on the as-required rapid tests made by the Medical Services Unit of KIT can be found here.

 

What does the latest version of the Guidelines on the Course of Business at KIT mean for mobile working from home?

Under the present “new normal” conditions of the pandemic, we all at KIT are facing the challenge to establish a way to maintain business while complying with the legal framework requirements and taking the measures necessary for infection protection.

For this reason, the Executive Board has adopted the Guidelines on the Course of Business at KIT in Times of the SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) Pandemic. Their clear focus is on the protection of all employees, members, guests, partners, and students of KIT.

One of the basic standards in times of the pandemic is the observation of infection protection regulations (distancing, reducing contacts, small groups only, washing hands, cough and sneeze etiquette). Depending on your workplaces, protection measures may be required and will be taken by the heads of the organizational units after they have made risk assessments for your workplaces. Protection measures include substituting, technical, organizational, and personal measures – in exactly this order of priority – according to the so-called STOP principle. Examples of basic protection measures are mobile work, if this is possible in agreement with the superior, move to offices for one person only, and presence of employees at different times.

Obligation to Work from Home

Modifications and amendments of the ordinances and acts relevant to KIT have resulted in changed provisions for mobile work. Persons now are obliged again to work from home wherever this is possible and not prevented by compelling work-related reasons. This serves to protect all of us against infection.

The goal is to continue to fulfill our core tasks in the best possible way in this mode of business.

Persons, who have to continue to work on the KIT campus to fulfill their tasks, are obliged to provide proof of 3G at the workplace.

Wherever possible, avoid hybrid meetings and meet online exclusively.

 

I have requested vacation. Can I cancel?

Already granted vacation can only be cancelled for valid reasons. Restricted possibilities for leisure activities or vacations due to the current situation are not reasons for cancellation. 

 

I live abroad and commute to KIT. What do I have to consider?

According to the Corona Ordinance Relating to Quarantine upon Entry and Testing (Corona Verordnung Einreise-Quarantäne und Testung, in German Only) of the Ministry of Social Affairs of Baden-Württemberg, persons who enter Baden-Württemberg from abroad and have stayed in a risk area during 14 days prior to entry are subject to quarantine. However, this does not apply to entries from a risk area that are necessary for professional reasons (as, for example, in the case of commuters). A commuter certificate is also not required.

 

How can job interviews be made at the moment?

To the extent possible, job interviews should be made online. Click https://intranet.kit.edu/6042.php to find important information given by the Human Resources Service Unit and the Data Protection Staff Unit.

As outlined in the “Guidelines on the Course of Business at KIT in Times of the SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) Pandemic,” it is also possible to make job interviews in person. In this case, infection protection requirements and hygiene rules have to be observed: Minimum distance 1.5 meters, cough and sneeze etiquette, regular and thorough washing of hands, well-aired and sufficiently large rooms. Please use the rooms administrated decentrally by you for this purpose. Employees who invite applicants for an in-person interview are obliged to provide proof of 3G at the workplace.

 

 

Who can advise me on technical, organizational, health and psychological matters while working from home?

Technical questions on the setup of work from home and mobile work are answered by SCC, the Information Technology Center at KIT. SCC websites on access, programs, video conferences, e-mails, cyber security, etc.: https://www.scc.kit.edu/en/services/homeoffice.php

Not only for companies, the "First Aid Kit for Successful Distributed Working" of KIT‘s Institute for Information Systems and Marketing provides numerous practical tips and recommendations concerning, for example, communication rules, work from home mission statement, the proper attitude or the right team spirit:
https://www.kompetenzzentrum-usability.digital/angebote/demonstratoren/social-distancing-social-awareness/erste-hilfe-kit-fuer-erfolgreiches-verteiltes-arbeiten

The KIT Health Network provides ergonomic tips and assistance for healthy working (not only) at home:
http://gesundheit.net.kit.edu/296.php

The KIT Health Network provides ergonomic tips and assistance for healthy working (not only) at home:
http://www.kmb.kit.edu

 

I am at work from home and take part in flexitime. How do I get my times credited?

If you share data with ESS/MSS, enter your times using the clock-in/out corrections and have them approved by your supervisor using the system

If you do not participate in ESS/MSS, and are still on campus occasionally, please note down your daily working hours for one working week and have the list signed by your supervisor. Then scan and email the weekly total of your working hours to the time management staff at PSE-Zeitwirtschaft, stating your personnel number. Time reports can also be sent to PSE-Zeitwirtschaft as collective Business Unit or Staff Unit lists via the relevant secretariat.

If you do not participate in ESS/MSS and will not be coming to campus for the foreseeable future, please note your daily working hours for one working week in a list (Word/Excel) and email it to PSE-Zeitwirtschaft with your supervisor in CC. Time reports can also be sent to PSE-Zeitwirtschaft as collective Business Unit or Staff Unit lists via the relevant secretariat.

 

Information concerning LBV (State Office for Salary).

Due to the dynamic development in connection with the coronavirus, LBV has been closed for visitors since Wednesday, March 18, 2020, until further notice. KIT Employees who wish to contact LBV are requested to make inquiries via the customer portal. In particular, aid applications should be submitted via "Aid Online", since these digital applications can be processed more easily in telework. You will find the link to "Beihilfeantrag-Online" (Aid Online) in the customer portal under the menu item "Service".

 

My user certificate for secure digital communication is expiring. How do I get a new one?

The certification authority of SCC has adapted its procedures to minimizing the risk of infection. It provides information on the current process at: https://www.ca.kit.edu/english/index.php
 

Relatives

Special paid leave or leave of absence for childcare due to current developments regarding the Corona virus (COVID 19).

If, despite reopening of the daycare facility, there are serious problems with the compatibility of work and family life, please contact your supervisor or your superior to find out whether it is possible to extend working from home. Before contacting us, please check whether you have used up your remaining leave from 2020 or 2021 and your flexitime.

2) Core time

In order to enable flexible work, the core time regulation will be suspended until December 31, 2021 inclusive for the employees concerned.

3) How can I continue to stay at home for childcare purposes (without extending work from home)?

a) Unpaid leave of absence with compensation claim according to § 56 para. 1a IfSG in the amount of 67 % of the loss of payment (net pay).

Employees who have to look after their children due to the closure of schools or childcare facilities and who suffer loss of payment due to the resulting absence from work have a statutory right to compensation in accordance with § 56 (1a) IfSG. Please note the requirements for an exemption according to §56 paragraph 1 a IfSG.

This compensation currently amounts to 67% of the loss of earnings incurred, up to a maximum of € 2016 per month for a maximum of 10 weeks per parent. Based on a regular weekly working time of five days, ten weeks correspond to 50 working days. For single parents, it is 20 weeks.

The statutory regulation on compensation applies insofar as the German Bundestag has determined an epidemic situation of national significance in accordance with Section 5 (1) sentence 1 IfSG.
According to the explanatory memorandum to Section 56 (2) sentence 5 IfSG, the annual period begins with the first determination by the German Bundestag pursuant to Section 5 (1) sentence 1 IfSG on March 28, 2020. This also applies if the continued existence of the epidemic situation of national scope is determined. Thus, the entitlement to compensation arises anew at the beginning of March 28, 2021. There is no possibility of carrying over days from the old grant period. Currently, the regulations apply until June 2021.

If the 20 days of paid leave have already been claimed, the entitlement to compensation under § 56 (1a)(2) IfSG shall be exhausted. If you have not yet fully claimed the 20-day paid leave of absence, you can apply for unpaid leave of absence with compensation from June 2, 2020. The days already taken will be credited against this.

If you need unpaid leave, please fill out the form provided and send it to PSE Zeitwirtschaft through your supervisor. Compensation payments will be made to your payroll account. The application for compensation is initiated via the employer. For this application it is necessary to provide the name and location of the closed care facility.

Before the claim for compensation can be asserted, working time credits and remaining leave from 2020 must be claimed.

Please note that no statutory compensation shall be provided for in times when schools and childcare facilities are closed anyway (e.g. during the vacations).

Contrary to expectations, the planned vacation care for my child is not available: A claim for compensation according to the Infection Protection Act is not provided for vacation care - even if the planned vacation care fails to take place.

You should discuss with your supervisor wether or not from home is an alternative.

Mandatory prerequisites for compensation claims pursuant to § 56 (1a) IfSG are as follows.

• A community facility, such as a daycare center, major daycare center, parent-child initiative (or similar), or school, has actually been closed in response to the spread of COVID-19
• The children affected by the closure are under 12 years of age.
• An alternative care of the child or children cannot otherwise be guaranteed.
• There are no official reasons against granting such leave. In this case, coordination with the supervisor is required.
• Positive working time balances (extra work, overtime, and flexitime credits) must be settled and the leave remaining from 2020 must be taken primarily. (§ 29 (3) clause 2 TV-L/ TVöD).

Please use this form for applications for unpaid leave of absence with entitlement to compensation.

4) If, after having exhausted these possibilities further days off are required for childcare, a short-term leave of absence from work with a waiver of payment can be granted, § 29, subsection 3, sentence 2 TVöD, or special leave can be taken according to § 28 TVöD.

Neither for civil servants nor for employees covered by collective bargaining agreements is there a need for taking their leave of absence or special leave in one piece. It is possible to take individual days. If the regular weekly working time is not distributed over five working days, the proportion increases or decreases accordingly.

5) Illness of your child: If your child falls ill, 10 working days of paid time off for childcare will be granted in accordance with Section 45 (2) of the German Social Code, Book V (SGB V), upon presentation of a corresponding certificate from the statutory health insurers. In order to ensure that children can be cared for even during school closures, the federal government has announced a legal provision to grant child sick pay for an additional 10 days per parent (20 days for single parents) in 2021. As soon as KIT has the legal basis for this change, we will provide more detailed information in this FAQ.

 

I have relatives in need of care. Now their nursing staff is not available. What can I do?

Please also note that in accordance with § 2 para. 1 of the Pflegezeitgesetz (home care leave act, in German only), employees have the right,  to take up to ten days off without continued payment in order to organize appropriate care for a close relative in an acute care situation. Pursuant to § 44a, subsection 3, sentence 1, SGB XI (German Social Security Code XI), employees are entitled to a care support allowance for the lost payment. You can apply for this at your relative’s public health care or nursing care insurance. Please contact the public health care or nursing care insurance directly in order to clarify whether the prerequisites for your short-term inability to work are met according to § 2 of the Pflegezeitgesetz, and to receive your care support allowance.

Please note that civil servants who have to organize or provide for nursing of a close relative  within the meaning of section 7 (3) of the Pflegezeitgesetz must be granted special leave with continued payment of their salaries for up to nine working days for each relative in need of care.
 

Travel / External Visit

What should be noted when returning to or entering Germany from abroad?

In general, the situation is highly dynamic and may change very quickly. It is distinguished between risk areas, high incidence areas, and areas of variants of concern. RKI offers a survey that is updated daily. Please note the provisions of the federal Coronavirus Entry Ordinance (Coronavirus-Einreiseverordnung, CoronaEinreiseV), including the quarantine regulations for persons entering and returning to Germany. Entry of the Federal Republic of Germany from other countries may be subject to restrictions. Information on travel restrictions and border control is given by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building, and Community.

Due to the multitude of possible cases, it is impossible to list here the options presently possible. Please inform yourself by clicking the above links.

Since October 01, 2020, different travel regulations have been adopted for all countries worldwide. They are being updated regularly. Details can be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office (in German only). Links to more information are provided there.

Our employees are urgently recommended not to make any unnecessary travels to high-risk areas or areas of variants of concern.

As regards quarantine regulations for persons entering and returning to Germany, the provisions of the valid Coronavirus Entry Ordinance (in German only) apply.

Before entering Germany, you are requested to register digitally if within the last ten days before entry, you stayed in an area that has been classified  as a high-risk area or area of variants of concern.

Since August 1, 2021 all persons aged 12 years or older have to carry a certificate stating that they are either vaccinated, have recovered, or were tested negative – whether they stayed in a high-risk area or in an area of variants of concern, or not. Even vaccinated or recovered persons have to carry a negative test when they have stayed in an area classified as high-risk area or area of variants of concern. Please consider possible quarantine regulations for persons entering and returning to Germany.

 

Information on payment regulations for persons returning from risk areas:

If work from home is impossible, civil servants (Beamte) of KIT, who return from risk areas and have to self-isolate, are obliged to use up their positive working time balance or to take a leave, or if no days are left, to take a leave for other reasons without payment of the salary (Article 31, par. 3 of the Working Time and Holiday Ordinance – AzUVO). This also applies to employees working under collective agreements (unpaid special leave according to Article 28, TV-L/TVÖD).

The duty to maintain one’s ability to work (§ 34 p. 1 of the Civil Service Status Act - Beamtenstatusgesetz - BeamtStG) requires that civil servants weigh up the necessity of the journey  and the respective risk in a responsible manner. In addition, they must ensure that they can carry out their work with full commitment after returning from vacation. For this reason, the Legal Notes of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finance on Civil Servants’ Dealing with the Corona Virus (Rechtliche Hinweise des Innenministeriums und des Finanzministeriums zum Umgang mit dem Corona-Virus für Beamtinnen und Beamte, in German only, as of May 27, 2020) expressly state that civil servants must clarify before the start of their journey how their ability to work after returning home can be ensured. In most cases, working from home will allow for this to be ensured. 

In the view of the state government, one generally speaks of unauthorized absence from work under § 68 (1) of the Federal Law on Public Servants (Landesbeamtengesetz - LBG) if civil servants who have to stay in quarantine after returning from vacation in a risk area do not safeguard their ability to work. This only applies if the area was already classified as a risk area before the start of the journey. In such cases, the impossibility of carrying out one’s duty is caused in breach of duty. Therefore, flexitime credits or vacation or, if these are used up, vacation for other reasons, accepting loss of payment (§ 31 para. 3 of the Working Hours and Vacation Ordinance – Arbeitszeit- und Urlaubsverordnung - AzUVO) are to be used as a rule, if telework or mobile work are not possible. If this fails to be done, culpable absence from work during quarantine shall be assumed and shall lead to a corresponding reduction of payment (§ 11 (1) of the Baden-Württemberg State Pay Scale Law (Landesbesoldungsgesetz Baden-Württemberg).

 

How can business trips be conducted with the current developments and general conditions in mind?

The Corona Coordination Office recommends refraining from business trips to high-risk areas or areas of variants of concern (in German only) as well as to domestic hotspots or limiting travel to what is absolutely necessary. Please discuss possible alternatives such as postponing the business trip or video conferencing formats with your supervisor(s).

If urgent business reasons make it necessary to travel to a foreign high-risk area or an area of variants of concern, a mandatory preventive healthcare in accordance with G35 will be requested prior to traveling.
When returning from a foreign risk area, the entry regulations of the respective federal states must be observed. 
There are no entry restrictions for travel returnees from hotspots within Germany.

Read more on the website of the KIT Medical Services:
https://www.med.kit.edu/254.php

 

I expect guests from a designated international risk area. What should I consider?

Exchange at a national and international level adds to and enriches scientific work in every respect. However, in view of the current situation, external visitors should no longer be received. All activities involving external visitors should be postponed or canceled indefinitely.

The situation is very dynamic in this regard and can change at short notice. A distinction must be made between high-risk areas and virus variant areas. A daily updated overview (in German only) is provided by the RKI. The requirements in accordance with the currently valid version of the ordinance applicable to Baden-Württemberg regarding quarantine measures for arriving and returning travelers (in German only) must be observed. From certain countries, not any person may possibly be allowed to enter the Federal Republic of Germany. Information on travel restrictions and border controls is provided by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community.

Due to the large number of possible cases, we are not able to list exhaustively the currently feasible options. Please read the links provided to inform yourself about the rules and regulations that may apply to your individual situation. 

Please note: For guests from abroad who have to quarantine themselves, it is probably not easy to find appropriate accommodation. This should be considered in advance.

Throughout Germany, the Coronavirus Entry Ordinance (in German only) uniformly regulates the rules regarding registration, quarantine, proofs of having been vaccinated or tested or having recovered,  and travel bans on virus variant areas.
 
A digital entry declaration must be made prior to entry if at any time within ten days before entry, the relevant person stayed in an area classified at the time of entry as a high-risk or virus variant area. 

Brief overview of current entry regulations (in German only): https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/fileadmin/Dateien/3_Downloads/C/Coronavirus/FAQs_Reise/Corona-Einreiseregeln_Kurzuebersicht.pdf

For more information, see FAQ "What should be noted when returning to or entering Germany from abroad?".

 

General

I have been put in quarantine. What do I need to know?

1. If you have no disease symptoms and, hence, you do not have a certificate of incapacity for work (AU/Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung), and if you can work from home, you are obliged to do so during quarantine.
   
   Note: If you have no symptoms, but fall ill during quarantine, the incapacity for work due to the illness starts on this particular day. In case of an incapacity for work, you will need the corresponding certificate (AU-Bescheinigung) issued by your doctor from the first day of your disease in spite of the quarantine. 
    

2. If you have disease symptoms and present a certificate of incapacity for work, wage payment will be continued during sick leave. 
    

3. If you are not ill, but cannot work from home when you are put in quarantine, the following regulations apply: 

To not vaccinated persons:

In Baden-Württemberg, persons above 18, who have not been fully vaccinated and are put in quarantine will not get their loss of wage compensated after September 15, 2021 according to Article 56, par. 1, Infection Protection Act (IfSG). This Act excludes any compensation, if a prohibition of work or a quarantine order could have been avoided by undergoing a publicly recommended vaccination. 

This does not apply, if you cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. In this case, you will continue to be entitled to a compensation of your wage loss. Until further notice, this will also apply to pregnant and nursing mothers. For proof, you will need a certificate issued by your doctor, in which it is confirmed without indicating reasons that your vaccination was impossible for medical reasons. 

If you cannot work from home in case of a quarantine, you may submit a request for vacation in order to prevent wage loss. 

To vaccinated or recovered persons: 

In exceptional cases, quarantine may be ordered. If the requirements below are fulfilled, you will get your wage loss compensated. 

Requirements for compensation:

According to Article 56, par. 1, cl. 2, IfSG, you have the right to compensation, if you were put in quarantine by the responsible authority according to Art. 30, par. 1, cl. 2, IfSG (e.g. by order of isolation / quarantine (Absonderungs-/Quarantäneanordnung)). 

The right to compensation as outlined in Art. 56, par. 1, cl. 2, IfSG, exists only, if the person entitled to compensation has suffered a wage loss as a result of the quarantine. Hence, the wage loss must be associated with the quarantine order. 

To claim compensation payments with the Regierungspräsidium (regional council), an isolation / quarantine order must be presented to PSE and it must be proved that you are entitled to such payments. This means that you have to prove that you are vaccinated or have recovered or that you cannot be vaccinated. 

 

What has to be considered during face-to-face meetings and other gatherings at KIT?

Business meetings must be reduced to the absolutely necessary minimum. Please meet online instead.

Meetings and gatherings are subject to requirements that are outlined in the “Guidelines on the Course of Business at KIT in Times of the SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) Pandemic.” They include among others: Obligation to provide 3G proof at the workplace, observation of a distance of at least 1.5 meters between persons, raising the awareness of participants in advance, rules of conduct, or display of rules on the information board, listing of participants, regular airing, larger room, and others. To protect the participants, it is urgently recommended to wear a mouth-nose protection.

Moreover, persons are obliged to collect data when two or more persons meet in a room for a period of more than 15 minutes. Universities are explicitly obliged and authorized to document participants. The scope of data collection should be such that the person responsible for the meeting is in a position to support the health authority in tracing contact persons, if necessary. If the address and telephone number are available (this is assumed for KIT employees and students), these data do not have to be collected again. If the address and telephone number are not available, these data have to be collected in addition. The data collected must be stored for four weeks and then deleted in accordance with data protection legislation.

This does not apply to accidental meetings of very short duration compared to the period mentioned above (e.g. meetings on the corridor). To comply with the information obligations outlined in data protection legislation (Article 12 ff, GDPR), note the privacy policy. For more information on data collection, click https://www.dsb.kit.edu/479.php.

As regards the necessity of listing participants, the Corona Coordination Office frequently receives questions. The following examples illustrate when the listing of participants will be required and under which conditions, no listing is needed. Listing of participants is aimed at being able to identify contact persons of an infected employee at an organizational unit.

The following examples may help decide whether participants have to be listed or not.

No list of participants is needed for:

• Persons with fixed workplaces (e.g. several persons who always work at the same workplace/office), if it is known, which persons were present on which days in the past four weeks.
• Persons with fixed laboratory places (e.g. laboratories that are used by a certain group or by certain persons only), if it is known which persons were present on which days in the past four weeks.
• Groups of persons that cooperate daily (e.g. working group, workshop, trainees and their supervisors, heads of institutes and secretaries etc.).
• All meetings, the participants of which are named clearly in the minutes.

In the following cases, participants have to be listed:

• At workplaces, laboratories, and rooms that are used jointly (e.g. they may be used by all the employees of the institute or several working groups – as a rule, at irregular intervals), the participants and the times they were present must be listed on a daily basis, provided that these times are longer than 15 minutes.
• All meetings for more than 15 minutes with persons you do not meet on a daily basis must be documented.

Among the basic standards in times of the pandemic is the observation of infection protection requirements (distancing, washing hands, cough and sneeze etiquette, no persons suspected of being infected are admitted to the workplace). In principle, the upper limit for meetings specified in the Corona Ordinance is 100 persons. However, it is necessary in any case to make a risk assessment. Depending on the number of persons and the activities, protection measures might be required. They will be taken by the heads of the organizational units after their risk assessment.

Please, strictly avoid in-person meetings at the moment and replace them by online meetings. The Microsoft Teams software for online collaboration of groups (chats, meetings, video conferences, notes, joint editing and exchange of files, to-dos) is available at https://www.scc.kit.edu/dienste/ms-teams.php.

Users in the science sector can also organize video, audio, and web conferences via Dienst DFNconf des DFN-Vereins (as long as capacities are available).

To support use of various online communication services, a recommendation can be found on the website of the Information Security Commissioner.

 

May the Corona App be installed on mobile work phones?

The Corona-Warn-App of the Federal Government is an important helper to trace and interrupt infection chains. Only if as many people as possible use the app can it unfold its effect.KIT’s risk assessment-based protection concept rests on the fact that the minimum distance is always and as far as possible maintained for preventing infections. There is no question, however, that the Corona App is especially helpful on the way to work and in many other situations. For this reason, it is possible and permissible at KIT to install the Corona Warning App on service mobile phones. The installation is voluntary in every respect. For reasons of IT security, please make sure that the latest available operating system or the current version of the app is installed on the service mobile phone when using the Corona App.

 

I am in a risk group. What are my possibilities regarding my work at KIT?

In times of Corona, all of us at the KIT are jointly faced with the challenge of establishing a “new-normality“ way of gradually resuming regular life in compliance with the legal framework and the necessary infection protection measures.

Our new basic standards in times of Corona include the compliance with infection protection (distance, small groups, handwashing, sneezing and coughing etiquette). Depending on the conditions at your workplace, additional protective measures may be required. After workplace risk assessment, these will be provided for by the management staff of the relevant organizational unit. The Medical Services (MED) or Experts for Work Safety  (FAS) can be consulted too for workplace risk assessment.

It is not possible, moreover, to give a general answer to the question as to whether a specific person is exposed to an increased risk of a serious course of disease due to certain pre-existing conditions. An individual assessment by a physician, taking  into account both the individual health requirements and the working conditions, is necessary. In cases where there is a possible individually increased risk of a serious course of COVID-19, the Medical Services (MED) are also available for occupational health consultation/preventive care.

 

What am I supposed to do, if I or members of my household have been put in quarantine by order of authority?

A quarantine order is issued by the local health authority. The orders given by the health authority must be obeyed. Only if an official quarantine order has been issued by the authorities, is the respective person entitled to continued payment of remuneration for up to a maximum of 6 weeks in the event of an incapacity to work in accordance with Article 56 of the German Infection Protection Act. According to Article 19 BBiG, this also applies to trainees.

If you are put in quarantine, please send the corresponding order document by email to your superiors and PSE-Zeitwirtschaft (PSE Time Management) immediately. If only members of your household  (but not you yourself) are put in quarantine, you are not a contact person according to the classification by the Robert Koch Institute and will continue to go to work as usual. The same applies to “isolation at home" as recommended by the Robert Koch Institute.

 

I would like to wash my hands, but there is no soap in the next lavatory or paper tissues are lacking. What can I do?

Our colleagues of DE ASERV (General Services) and the contracted service providers continuously take care of the lavatories and toilets on our campuses. Especially in high-use lavatories, however, it may happen that soap and tissues are used up or that some users do not leave the lavatories in a way we would want them to do.
In buildings used by a large number of people, such as the Library or Audimax, cleaning staff controls the rooms and the amounts of soap and paper tissues several times per day. If soap or tissues are lacking, please use another lavatory and notify the need promptly.

Our colleagues responsible for these matters will be happy about a short information with the number of the building, the floor, and the room number of the lavatory. The technical support staff of KIT can be reached by calling +49 721 608 5555  (internally, calling 5555 will be sufficient) or by mailing to stoermeldung-cn∂fm kit edu  (Campus North) and stoermeldung-cs∂fm kit edu (Campus South, West, East). In addition, employees and partners having a KIT account can use the web form of the ticket system in the Intranet. (Please note: The current ticket system was launched just a few days ago. If you have problems, let them know to your colleagues of DE FM (Facility Management). Click here for short instructions.

On the following websites, you will find information on when and how to wash hands as well as on reasonable prevention methods, such as cough and sneeze etiquette:
•    https://www.infektionsschutz.de/haendewaschen.html#c6354 (in German)
•    https://www.infektionsschutz.de/hygienetipps.html (in German)

Start of the Semester & Online Teaching

• How will academic education proceed in the 2021/22 winter semester? (As of December 3, 2021)
• How to start online studies? (As of April 08, 2021)
• I am a lecturer. Where can I find help, for example, on the subjects of online teaching, digital course preparation, and everyday university life? (As of April 15, 2020)

Examinations & Courses

• What provisions have been taken for on-campus teaching in the winter semester 2021/22? (As of November 19, 2021)
• What do the warning and alert levels mean for studies?  (As of November 30, 2021)
• What are the general conditions for oral online exams via video conferencing? (As of February 22, 2021)
• Will exam deadlines and program durations be extended (again) in the winter semester of 2021/22? (As of November 2, 2021)
• I am studying in a degree program that is being phased out. What do I have to consider? (As of May 20, 2020)
• Where can I find information as a student teacher? (As of April 8, 2021)

General Questions about the Corona Pandemic

• Where can I find information about the Corona vaccination for students? (As of December 3, 2021)
• I am pregnant. What do I have to keep in mind regarding maternity protection and studying during the corona pandemic? (As of April 30, 2021)
• I study at KIT. Where can I undergo rapid testing? (As of December 3, 2021)
• What does the Baden-Württemberg Higher Education Law stipulate with regard to the regular period of study? (As of September 2, 2021)
• Where at KIT is wearing a face mask mandatory? (As of March 8, 2021)
• To what an extent can the KIT library and the learning places and workplaces be used at the moment? (As of November 30, 2021)
• In the given situation, what can I do to stay healthy? (As of November 23, 2021)

Studies & General Issues

• Can I use emergency tutoring to prepare for exams? (As of January 11, 2021)
• Is it possible to enter Germany from third countries? (As of July 21, 2020)
• I study with a child. Whom can I turn to in the current situation? (As of August 31, 2020)
• How can I update my personal data in the Studierendenportal? (As of June 8, 2021)
• As an international student, do I have to keep on paying tuition fees? (As of November 10, 2021)
• How can I obtain the KIT library's and KIT department libraries' seals stating that I have cleared my library accounts prior to my being removed from the register of students? (As of October 27, 2020)
• I am an international student. Can I enroll online? (As of April 8, 2021)
• I am a foreign student and need a certificate of compulsury presence to apply for a visa or to enter Germany. Can I get such certificate from KIT? (As of July 21, 2020)

 

Start of the Semester & Online Teaching

How will academic education proceed in the 2021/22 winter semester? 

Due to the dramatically worsening pandemic situation with an exponential increase in new infections in Baden-Württemberg, the Science Ministry adopted amendments of the Corona Ordinance on Academic Education Operations that again restrict on-campus education at state universities, in particular during the currently effective “Alarmstufe II” (alarm level II).

In-person courses and lectures: Proof of 2G and full control 

According to the currently valid Corona Ordinance on Academic Education Operations, in-person courses and lectures during the current alarm level II require observation of the “2G rule”. This means that students, who have not recovered from Covid or who are not fully vaccinated, will not be able to attend in-person courses and lectures. The obligation to provide proof of 2G does not apply to practical courses (laboratory courses etc.) that are absolutely necessary for the progress of studies, examinations, and access to archives and libraries. In these cases, proof of 3G (recovery, vaccination or negative test) is required. For all in-person courses and lectures as well as examinations, teachers are obliged to provide proof of 3G.

Please note that the students themselves are responsible for the presentation of a negative Covid test certificate. Click here for test centers in the city and district of Karlsruhe.

In future, on-campus courses and lectures will require full control of the necessary proofs of all participants. The random check concept that has been applied in centrally administrated rooms so far is suspended. This means that only those courses and lectures may take place on campus, for which the teachers can guarantee full control of all participants. As a consequence, teachers will have to look at each lecture or course and decide whether they can reduce the number of participants on campus to a controllable level or whether the course or lecture has to take place online.

The information on whether the course or lecture will take place in person or in the hybrid or online mode will be provided by the teachers via email or the ILIAS system. The changes resulting from the new Corona Ordinance on Academic Education Operations come at very short notice for all persons concerned, their implementation will take some time.

During all in-person courses and lectures indoors, there is a general obligation to wear masks, also when observing the minimum distance of 1.5 m. Persons are not obliged to wear a mask when giving a lecture, provided that the minimum distance of 1.5 m can be observed reliably.

Students are only allowed to use learning places and workplaces, if they can provide proof of 2G.

Information for International Students

Vaccination with a vaccine not approved in Germany will not be accepted for the proof of 2G or 3G. These students will have to undergo regular testing for participation in practical courses (laboratory courses etc.) that are absolutely necessary for the progress of studies, examinations, and access to archives and libraries.

Until Dec. 31, 2021, these students will be treated the same as individuals who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and will be granted access to 2G events with a negative test result.

Starting in January, this group of students will also be required to show proof of vaccination with an EU-approved vaccine (or proof of recovery). This vaccination can be done 28 days after a vaccination with a non-EU approved COVID-19 vaccine.

Information on vaccination options can be found here: https://www.dranbleiben-bw.de/

The central contact point for international students is the International Students Office at KIT.

Call to undergo vaccination

The President of KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka, strongly supports the call by Professor Uwe Spetzger (Aufruf von Professor Uwe Spetzger), Director of the Neurosurgical Clinic of the Municipal Hospital in Karlsruhe and Member of the KIT Department of Informatics, on all employees and students of KIT to undergo vaccination for protecting themselves and others. There are numerous possibilities to undergo vaccination spontaneously and without making an appointment in advance (https://www.impfen-ka.de/#/desktop-view).

 

How to start online studies?

Due to the current pandemic situation, the lecture period at KIT will start online on April 12. We have summarized the relevant links and information for you in the following. We ask all students not to come to the campus for lectures or studying and to attend all courses online instead.

After logging in with your personal KIT account, you will find access and help pages:

How to ILIAS - Introduction to KIT's Learning Management System for students: https://ilias.studium.kit.edu/goto.php?target=crs_635565&client_id=produktiv

Help for students using ILIAS: https://ilias.studium.kit.edu/goto.php?target=cat_947332&client_id=produktiv

Online course catalog of the KIT: https://campus.studium.kit.edu/events/catalog.php#!campus/all/fields.asp?group=Vorlesungsverzeichnis

In case of technical problems with ILIAS, please contact: ilias∂studium.kit.edu

In addition, MS Teams and/or ZOOM can be used to conduct seminars and lectures in the form of video conferences (information about which systems are used in the respective course can be found in the relevant ILIAS workspace).

Information on the use of MS Teams: https://www.scc.kit.edu/dienste/ms-teams.php

Within the scope of its possibilities, KIT endeavors to use online teaching solutions that comply with the data protection regulations. Since the existing services cannot be scaled, cloud-based online setting must be used instead. The lecturers and students are free to decide whether they want to use a cloud-based service or not, knowing which data protection concerns exist, on the one hand, and how uncertain the availability is of using cloud-based service, on the other hand. In accordance with the resolutions of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany, the KIT ensures that not using cloud-based services will not be sanctioned (such ensuring is provided for e.g., by guaranteeing that students will not be blamed for exceeding deadlines due to not using cloud-based courses or exams).

KIT has taken extensive measures to raise the use of cloud-based services to an acceptable level under corona-related circumstances. For example, the use of Zoom at KIT is based on a contract data processing agreement that has been adapted to the KIT requirements. In particular, KIT has succeeded in drafting the section on the possibility of passing on personal data in conformity with the data protection regulations. In addition, attitudes and recommendations for a data-saving use and for minimizing risks from an IT security point of view were elaborated and implemented. This means, for example, that students can participate in the sessions without activating their microphones or webcams and without having to give their real names. The students are informed comprehensively about data processing via a data protection declaration.

Information on the use of ZOOM: http://www.zml.kit.edu/corona-live-vortrag.php

Help for students with technical questions about MS Teams and ZOOM: servicedesk∂scc.kit.edu

If you have organizational questions, please do not hesitate to contact your lecturers and the deans’ offices. We kindly ask you to familiarize yourself with the services and tools available to you, if you have not already done so. During the initial phase, bottlenecks may occur, both in KIT's own and in KIT's external IT and communication infrastructure. We ask everyone for patience, calmness, and cooperation in this special situation.
 

I am a lecturer. Where can I find help, for example, on the subjects of online teaching, digital course preparation, and everyday university life?

The Center for Technology-Enhanced Learning at KIT operates a portal on online teaching:

http://www.zml.kit.edu/english/4531.php

The business units SLE, INTL, and HAA answer further questions asked by lecturers on everyday university life, admissions, examinations, and fees on their FAQ pages:

https://www.sle.kit.edu/wirueberuns/informationen-corona.php (access for lecturers via KIT account)

 

Examinations & Courses

What provisions have been taken for on-campus teaching in the winter semester 2021/22?

In the centrally managed lecture halls and function rooms, you will find information signs regarding the “AHA Rules” (Abstand, Hygiene, Alltagsmaske – which is about equivalent to  Hands. Face. Space – please stay apart from others - wash your hands - wear a face mask) as well as the rules on prohibition of access and participation in accordance with the current Corona Ordinance.

Students, relatives, guests, and partners of KIT may not enter the KIT premises and rooms if they:

•  are obligated to quarantine themselves due to the coronavirus pandemic. 
• show typical symptoms of an infection with the coronavirus, namely fever, dry cough, disturbance of the sense of taste or smell. 
• do not wear a face mask where wearing one is compulsory.         

Please note: Wearing face masks is also mandatory in the aisles and walkways inside buildings.

In the lecture halls and function rooms, you will also find utensils for cleaning chairs and tables. Upon entering the room, please take a cleaning cloth from one of the racks provided and wipe your seat. Please dispose of the wipes in the waste bins provided when leaving the room.

On the part of KIT, we have to support contact tracing by collecting the data for it. For each individual course, it must be collected who participates and when, in order to be able to act in case of infection.

For the above purpose of contact tracing, KIT has developed two electronic solutions: 

Via KIT card:
In compliance with the data protection rules, KONKIT (KOntaktNachverfolgung am KIT- contact tracing at the KIT) enables a reliable collection of the contact data during courses as you place the KIT card on the reading device provided. Registration via KIT card is done simply by placing the card on the device.

Via QR code:

By means of a QR code found in the function room or used in addition to the KONKIT registration option, attendance can be documented also. Your personal data will be transmitted in encrypted form, and reference to the relevant contact data will be disclosed only in the event of a suspected infection.

What happens if your test result is positive?  

If a participant has tested positive, the health department should ask them about their contacts. Due to the current focus on exclusively vulnerable groups, the Health Office can no longer guarantee complete contact tracing, so please contact us at the email address kontaktnachverfolgung∂sle.kit.edu in case of a positive PCR result.  Please include each event attended, its exact name (ideally VS number), teacher name, day and time. Based on the registration via the QR code or KIT card, the participants of the affected event will be informed about the infection case via email in an anonymized form.

 
Lecturers will find further information at SLE: www.sle.kit.edu/wirueberuns/informationen-corona.php

 

What do the warning and alert levels mean for studies?

Declaration of the alarm level II is associated with major restrictions of academic education. With a few exceptions, in-person courses and lectures are subject to the 2G requirement, meaning that only vaccinated or recovered students are allowed to attend. For more information, click here.

 

What are the general conditions for oral online exams via video conferencing?

With the revision of § 32a and § 32b of the Act of Baden-Württemberg on Universities and Colleges, the framework conditions for oral online exams via video conferencing have been amended.

Oral online exams via video conferencing are now permitted even in the absence of infections provided that the oral exams are suitable for online video conferencing as regards content-related, didactic, or other aspects (e.g. the exam subject matter). Please read more on the relevant organizational, legal, and technical framework conditions and on the processing of personal data here.
 

Will exam deadlines and program durations be extended (again) in the winter semester of 2021/22? 

The coronavirus pandemic continues to impair student life. With the revised version of section 32, paragraph 5a of the Act of Baden-Württemberg on Universities and Colleges  (Landeshochschulgesetz - LHG), the exam deadlines and maximum program durations for the summer semester 2021 and winter semester 2021/2022 have been extended as follows:

Orientation exam:

For students who are or were enrolled in a degree program in the summer semester 2020, winter semester 2020/2021, summer semester 2021, or winter semester 2021/2022, the deadline for taking the orientation exam has been extended by one semester in each case (section 32 (5 a), sentence 1 LHG). 
This means that the deadline has been extended for 
-    students enrolled in one of the above semesters in the same program by one semester;
-    students enrolled in two of the above semesters in the same program by two semesters;
-    students enrolled in three or more of the above semesters in the same program by a maximum of three semesters.

Maximum Program Duration:

Section 32, paragraph 5 a LHG extends the maximum duration of individual degree programs by a maximum of three semesters.  However, this does not imply an overall general extension for all students in the summer semester 2020, the winter semester 2020/2021, the summer semester 2021, and the winter semester 2021/2022 in all degree programs. If you are blocked from re-registering for the following semester because you have exceeded the maximum program duration, please contact the competent examination board. 
For questions regarding extended deadlines for taking repeat examinations, please contact the competent examination board.

 

I am studying in a degree program that is being phased out. What do I have to consider?

The deadlines for taking the last study and examination credits of the expiring diploma courses are regulated in the transitional regulations for Bachelor's and Master's courses. Upon expiry of these deadlines, the diploma courses of study have finally expired and there is no possibility of taking further examinations. The deadline regulations do not provide for an individual extension for individual students. If the deadline for taking examinations is to be extended for the remaining students of the diploma courses, an amendment of the study and examination regulations (SPO) is necessary. If you have questions, please contact your KIT faculty directly and not the examination boards.

The same applies to the deadlines for the last possible examination in the expiring examination regulations of the Bachelor and Master courses of studies, if the students of these courses of studies are to be enabled to take the examinations on the basis of the old study and examination regulations. In contrast to diploma students, students still enrolled in the "old SPOs" automatically fall under the new study and examination regulations when the examination deadlines expire, so that the regulations of the new SPOs apply with regard to examinations to be taken, deadlines, etc.

 The deadlines for taking the last examinations within the Diplom degree programs that are being phased out are stated in the transitional Bachelor's and Master's regulations. Upon expiry of these deadlines, the Diplom degree programs will not exist anymore and there will be no possibility of taking further examinations. The deadlines do not provide for individual extensions for individual students. The extension of examination deadlines for  the remaining Diplom students would require an amendment of the study and examination regulations (SPO). If you have questions, please directly contact your KIT department. Please do not contact  the examination boards.

The same applies to the deadlines for the last examinations based on expiring Bachelor’s and Master’s examination regulations, if the students in these programs are to be enabled to take examinations on the basis of the outdated study and examination regulations. In contrast to the Diplom  students, students still enrolled in the outdated SPO upon expiration of the examination deadlines automatically fall under the new study and examination regulations.  

 

Where can I find information as a student teacher?

Information on the handling of state examinations in the context of the current situation can be found on the corresponding pages of the Ministry of Culture and the LLPA:

https://km-bw.de/,Lde/Startseite/Ablage+Individual pages+mixed+topics/FAQS+School closings
http://llpa-bw.de/,Lde/Startseite/Aussenstellen/1_+Staatspruefung+_+Gymnasium+and+vocational+schools

KIT‘s Center for Teacher Education (Zentrum für Lehrerbildung) also collects all information on the current situation relevant to KIT student teachers:
https://www.hoc.kit.edu/zlb/823.php

 

General Questions about the Corona Pandemic

Where can I find information about the Corona vaccination for students?

General vaccination information and tips for getting vaccinated can be found at myhealth.kit.edu

Information on vaccination options can be found here: https://www.dranbleiben-bw.de/

I am pregnant. What do I have to keep in mind regarding maternity protection and studying during the corona pandemic?

Students and lecturers who have any questions on maternity protection during studies can contact the Central Student Advisory Service  and/or refer to the FAQ of SLE (in German only) regarding corona and maternity protection.

 

I study at KIT. Where can I undergo rapid testing?

During the currently effective alarm level II, a negative test is no longer sufficient to attend in-person courses and lectures or to use learning places and workplaces for students. Instead, a proof of vaccination or recovery (2G) is required. The obligation to provide proof of 2G does not apply to practical courses (laboratory courses etc.) that are absolutely necessary for the progress of studies, examinations, and access to archives and libraries. In these cases, proof of 3G is required.

Vaccination with a vaccine not approved in Germany will not be accepted for the proof of 2G or 3G. These students must undergo regular testing in order to be able to participate in practical courses (laboratory courses etc.) that are absolutely necessary for the progress of studies and examinations and to obtain access to archives and libraries.

Until Dec. 31, 2021, these students will be treated the same as individuals who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and will be granted access to 2G events with a negative test result.

Starting in January, this group of students will also be required to show proof of vaccination with an EU-approved vaccine (or proof of recovery). This vaccination can be done 28 days after a vaccination with a non-EU approved COVID-19 vaccine.

Information on vaccination options can be found here: https://www.dranbleiben-bw.de/

The central contact point for international students is the International Students Office at KIT.

Please note that the students themselves are responsible for the presentation of a negative Covid test certificate. Click here for test centers in the city and district of Karlsruhe.

The Covid rapid test facility on Campus South of KIT has been reopened. For further information click here (english version below).

In case of a positive test result, self-isolate immediately and inform your family physician or call 116117 to make an appointment for a PCR test.

Note in any case: Also “negatively tested” students must continue to observe the requirements specified in the “Guidelines on the Course of Business at KIT in Times of the SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) Pandemic” (no test bonus). This serves to protect all of us.

 

What does the Baden-Württemberg Higher Education Law stipulate with regard to the regular period of study?

At the "StudiGipfel BW" on May 20, 2021, the state of Baden-Württemberg held out the prospect of extending the individual standard period of study, which is decisive for the duration of BAföG funding, to the summer semester of 2021. This legal ordinance from the Ministry of Science became now effective. This will increase the maximum duration of support for students enrolled in this semester by one (additional) semester for all courses of study.

The Act of Baden-Württemberg on Universities and Colleges provides for an extension of the regular periods of study for all students enrolled in the summer semester of 2020 or winter semester of 2020/2021 or summer semester of 2021. The regular period of study will be extended by three semesters for students who were enrolled in a degree program in the summer semester of 2020 and winter semester of 2020/2021 and summer semester of 2021, by two semester for students who were enrolled in the winter semester of 2020/2021 and summer semester of 2021 and by one semester for students who were enrolled in the summer semester of 2021. This course of action will extend the maximum BAföG funding period that is linked to the regular period of study and will thus increase students’ planning reliability and avoid corona-related hardships during studies.

 

Where at KIT is wearing a mask mandatory?

According to the Corona regulations relevant for KIT, there is a duty to wear medical or FFP2 masks at KIT in principle:

• On all traffic routes and traffic areas within buildings, for example doorways and other entrance areas, passageways, corridors, stairwells, sanitary facilities, routes at events, tea kitchens, break rooms and other meeting areas.
• At  written exams, including when the seat has been taken and on the way there.
• In the KIT shuttle*, in the canteen at the North Campus, and at medical services.

*When using the KIT shuttle, the infection control measures of KVV apply.

The obligation to wear a mouth-nose covering does not apply:

• In activities and at workplaces for which a risk assessment has not determined the need for a protective mask. This is usually the case if a minimum distance of 1.5 meters from other persons is maintained.

When using FFP2 masks, make sure that they do not have a valve. Since such a valve is permeable to the exhaled air, such masks are not suitable for protecting your fellow human beings and cannot be recognized as an adequate protective measure where the wearing of mouth-nose covering is prescribed.

 

To what an extent can the KIT library and the learning places and workplaces be used?

Note: During the currently effective alarm level II, students are only allowed to use the learning places and workplaces, if they can provide proof of 2G (vaccination or recovery).

Another 100 learning places are now being provided in the entrance hall of the mathematics building (Building 20.30). Click here for information on opening times and conditions of use.

The reading halls of the KIT Library can be used upon prior reservation. To borrow items, order them online and collect them from the pick-up shelf. This service is independent of a seat reservation.

More information on the use of the KIT Library and the specialized libraries is available on the website of the KIT Library (https://www.bibliothek.kit.edu/english/corona-services.php).

Moreover, the KIT Library offers a broad spectrum of digital services (https://www.bibliothek.kit.edu/corona-digitale-angebote.php), by means of which several offers can be used from home via a VPN connection.

KIT Scientific Publishing and the Media Center are closed. Appointments have to be agreed upon in advance.

In the given situation, what can I do to stay healthy?

On 'MyHealth', the website for the health management of students of KIT, you will find news, recommendations, offers, and information (partly in English) on healthy studies and teaching: www.MyHealth.kit.edu

 

 

Studies & General Issues

Can I use emergency tutoring to prepare for exams?

Emergency childcare will again be provided for children in daycare centers and daycare facilities, as well as for students in grades 1 to 7 whose parents are absolutely dependent on childcare. Students who are prevented from attending care due to exam preparation can also make use of emergency care.

Children are eligible for emergency care if both legal guardians or the single parent are considered indispensable by their employer or are in the exam preparation phase.

In view of the current situation, we ask you to be particularly responsible when submitting your application, as there are currently only limited places available for childcare in the relevant facilities. Please be considerate of colleagues and fellow students who may be even more affected than you.

A corresponding form is available for download here.

However, it may be that the respective institution requires additional or other forms, so please contact them.
 

Is it possible to enter Germany from third countries? 

The DAAD and HRK have made available information on the (re-)entry of international students and researchers from third countries to Germany for studies or research. These DAAD and HRK forms can be used by the KIT institutes.

 

I study with a child. Whom can I turn to in the current situation?

Students who have questions about studying with children are welcome to contact the Zentrum für Information und Beratung: https://www.sle.kit.edu/imstudium/besonderelebenslagen.php (in German only)

 

How can I update my personal data in the Studierendenportal?

The Corona Ordinance as of August 6, 2020 does not provide the possibility anymore of collecting email addresses for the purpose of contact tracking and of passing them on to the health authorities.  

In view of the current and future examination periods as well as on account of the fact that on-campus teaching partly takes place again, we would like to ask you to check and, if necessary, update your data stored in the Studiportal.

In particular, we would like to ask you to provide a telephone number where you can be reached by the health authorities if necessary. This is in your own interest: If no telephone number is provided, the health authorities can only reach you via your postal address stored in the Studiportal. This will cause considerable delay.

You can update your data in the Studiportal as follows:

• How is it done?
  Go to: https://campus.studium.kit.edu/personal/index.php. Enter updates under Personal Information – Address/ Telephone number and save (“Speichern”).
   
• How can I check whether the data has been saved?
  Go to: https://campus.studium.kit.edu/reports/studyreports.php. Click on and print the check form “Datenkontrollblatt” under Reports – Study Reports.

 

As an international student, do I have to keep on paying tuition fees?

Please contact the student service via the contact formula in case of problems.

International students of KIT can apply at the International Students Office of the Business Unit Internationa Affairs  (INTL) International Students Office of the International Services Unit (INTL) to have tuition fees waived on condition that after having taken up their studies, they have gotten into financial distress due to the coronavirus pandemic and cannot pay the tuition fees. Students can also apply for this waiver in cases where they are unable to enter the country or where they had to or must re-enroll due to the cancelation of final exams. The relevant application form To do so, they use an application form provided by the International Students Office upon request. More information: studiengebuehren∂intl.kit.edu

 

How can I obtain the KIT library's and KIT department libraries' seals stating that I have cleared my library accounts prior to my being removed from the register of students?

Please send your routing slip as a digitally filled PDF document by e-mail to - infodesk ∂does-not-exist.bibliothek kit edu. After checking your library account, the staff will digitally sign the routing slip and forward it to the student service. The authorized signatories are deposited there. Please note: Your library account must not show any fees or loans.
Alternatively, you can come to the KIT Library South in person during our service hours (Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.). 

 

I am an international student. Can I enroll online?

International students can enroll online. Please send the required documents to your official in charge (see letter of admission). Read more.

 

I am a foreign student and need a certificate of compulsory presence to apply for a visa or to enter Germany. Can I get such certificate from KIT?

International students from third countries can ask at the International Students Office for certificates for (re-)entering Germany for studies.  This applies both to students already enrolled and to students newly admitted for the winter semester. The certificates will be lodged on the application system.

• KIT Corona Coordination Office
• Regulation on the service operation of KIT in times of the Sars-CoV-2 (Corona virus) pandemic
• Current Corona regulation of the state of Baden-Württemberg
• Corona information of the Ministry of Social Affairs of Baden Württemberg
• Robert Koch Institute
• Public health department Karlsruhe
• Information and recommendations of the KIT Medical Services

 

In case of a justified reason, KIT members are free to call the company physicians, the general practitioner, or the health authority for personal telephone consultation.

Questions relating to work at home are answered by your superior and the officer responsible for you at DE PSE. Here, we are focusing on the more intensive use of existing possibilities of telework or mobile working.

Lecturers with questions about study operations can get information here (in German only). If you have questions with respect to examination legislation please contact their departments or DE HAA.

Students are free to contact their lecturers, or the deans’ offices.

Suggestions for the maintenance of this FAQ can be directed to Monika Landgraf monika.landgraf∂kit.edu (SEK-Gesamtkommunikation) and Timo Schreck timo.schreck∂kit.edu (SEK-GK).

If you have any further questions, contact the Corona Coordination Office (Gerhard Frank (SUM), Andrea Stahl (MED), Boris Stegmaier (SUM), and Klaus Umstadt (FAS)): corona∂sum.kit.edu