Corona – Information on how to deal with the pandemic

If you have typical symptoms of a coronavirus infection such as fever, dry cough, an impaired sense of taste or smell, the following applies:

• Do not enter or leave the University grounds immediately
• Contact your family doctor by phone; if that is not possible dial, patient service 116117, further information available at https://www.116117.de The doctors in the test centers or practices will then decide whether a test is useful for you.
• for employees: information from the supervisor
• Until the test result is available: stay at home, use rooms as separately as possible or at different times, avoid close contact; wear a mouth-and-nose covering if possible when in contact with others, ensure good hand hygiene.

You must be placed in quarantine even if the Health Department’s order is not available immediately after the test result is available. The duration of the quarantine is determined by the authorities. The measure does not end automatically, but only when it has been lifted again by the respective authority.

In order to enable the department to take the necessary protective measures for the other employees who have been in contact with the one employee ill with COVID-19, it is necessary to inform the department immediately about the occurrence of symptoms of illness or a positive corona test result. In light of this, there is also a legitimate interest in notifying the department of a COVID-19 illness in the event of your inability to work.

• Send your employee home immediately.
• Advise him/her to contact the family doctor.
• Send any other employees you know to be Category I contact persons home (to the home office) as a precaution.
• Please inform the coordination office (koordinierungsstelle@zv.uni-freiburg.de).
• The Health Office is responsible for contact follow-up after a positive test result has been obtained, not the university.

• Send the student home immediately.
• Advise him/her to contact the family doctor.
• There is no obligation to inform the University. We are currently examining the data protection requirements for a voluntary report to the coordination office (koordinierungsstelle@zv.uni-freiburg.de).
• In the case of a suspected case of student infection, it is the sole responsibility of the Health Department to follow up on contacts and inform those affected.

Even if the quarantine ends prematurely, the regular ban on entry and participation still applies.

If you have previously been placed under official quarantine, the health department (local police in the case of travelers) will decide whether a negative test result alone will lift the quarantine. If the authority lifts the quarantine, and provided that you have not had contact with a person infected with the coronavirus in the last 14 days, have no typical symptoms, and wear a mouth-and-nose covering, you may enter the University.

If you had the test done without special cause (i.e., you are not a contact person) or due to unclear cold symptoms, the decision about your ability to work rests with your physician who ordered the test.

• The temporary additional infection control measures regulated in the SARS-CoV-2 hygiene regulations of the university supplement the generally applicable occupational safety standards resulting from the Occupational Safety and Health Act. These general occupational health and safety standards therefore claim unlimited validity.
• Employees and students are to be instructed in a suitable manner about the measures of these general hygiene regulations and, if necessary, more specific regulations for special work areas.
• Attention is drawn to the increased danger to risk groups and the resulting special protective regulations.
• The instruction shall be documented.
• Workplaces must be designed in such a way that there is sufficient (at least 1.5 meters, better 2 meters) distance to other persons. This can be achieved, for example, by blocking off individual workstations, moving work tables apart or reversible markings on floors or surfaces. In workplaces where people normally sit exactly opposite each other or back-to-back, it is strongly recommended that workplaces be moved as much as possible, even if the minimum distance of 1.5 m is observed. Attaching or setting up a hygiene protection is not a comparable protective measure.
• The distance requirement also applies without restriction to activities or activities in outdoor areas.
• Basically, the number of persons or the common duration of stay in work rooms must be limited to a necessary minimum (e.g. by working at different times). If multiple occupancy is absolutely necessary, the maximum room occupancy must be determined by the responsible person in the individual line areas as well as the lines of individual events and must be clearly visible and announced with a sign at the entrance doors.
• Here is an information sign “Maximum room occupancy” to be filled out.
• It should be noted that prolonged exposure to small, poorly ventilated or unventilated rooms increases the probability of transmission by aerosols even over a distance greater than 2 m. Due to the accumulation and distribution of aerosols, under these conditions, maintaining the minimum distance may no longer be sufficient. An effective air exchange can reduce the aerosol concentration in a room. Wearing mouth-and-nose coverings also reduces the number of viruses released into the air.
• Office work can be carried out in the home office in consultation with the supervisor – as far as content and technical possibilities allow. The respective valid regulations for the home office must be observed.
• As far as possible, rooms that are not occupied by part-time jobs or vacations are to be used temporarily by others. The temporary use of another workplace must be agreed with the employees in advance.
• Work equipment should always be used by one and the same person if possible. If this cannot be implemented, appropriate hand hygiene and regular cleaning must be ensured, especially before handovers.
• If necessary, the occupancy rate of work rooms is to be reduced by forming teams that alternate between the home office and the on-site office. When forming teams, care must be taken to ensure that the same persons always belong to the respective team.
• Transparent partitions are to be set up at workplaces with public access (e.g. information counters, consultation areas). Procurement has to be made at the expense of the institution via the University’s usual ordering system. If these measures of work organization are not possible, alternative protective measures must be taken. These measures may not be used to reduce the minimum distance between permanent workplaces.
• Room capacities of the facilities shall be used and work processes and working hours shall be organized in such a way that multiple occupancy of rooms can be avoided or sufficient protective distances can be maintained. Traffic routes and centrally used equipment shall be taken into account.
• Surfaces with hand contact, in particular those of work equipment, must be cleaned particularly thoroughly at least once a day, or several times a day if necessary, with a cleaning agent containing tenside.
• Further hygiene measures due to other legal regulations (hazardous substances law, genetic engineering law, bio-substances ordinance or similar) must be observed without change.
• Markings with a minimum distance of 1.5 meters are to be placed on the floor at all places where lines may form as an orientation aid.
• In rooms with at least two entrances, one entrance must be marked as the entrance and one as the exit. In case of emergency (e.g. fire alarm) all escape routes must be used and this restriction is temporarily suspended.
• Passenger elevators may only be used individually if the minimum distance of 1.5 meters cannot be safely maintained in the elevator. This also applies if mouth-and-nose coverings are worn.

• Social distancing rules must be observed in bathroom facilities, social rooms and break rooms. These areas should be used individually or with a time delay if possible (staggering of working and break times, removal of chairs etc.). All users have to pay attention to special hygiene in these rooms.
• When using social rooms and break rooms as well as kitchenettes and commonly used objects in these rooms (e.g. coffee machines, microwave ovens, etc.), adequate hand hygiene must be ensured.
• As far as possible, objects of daily use in social rooms and kitchenettes should be used by one and the same person.
• The number of persons is to be limited according to the distance regulations and the entrance is to be marked with the maximum number of persons allowed.
• Here is an information sign “Maximum room occupancy” to be filled out.

The risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 can be significantly reduced by regular intermittent and cross-ventilation or via ventilation systems.

• Rooms that are used regularly as
• Individual offices must be sufficiently ventilated through wide open windows for at least 3 minutes every 60 minutes;
  • Shared rooms must be sufficiently ventilated through wide open windows for at least 3 minutes every 20 minutes.
• This also applies to rooms that only have a stationary air circulation system or equipment. These cool or heat the indoor air, but there is no exchange with fresh air.
• Tilting windows is insufficient because the air exchange is not adequate using this method.
• Temporary cooling of the room and short-term drafts do not represent an unreasonable burden according to occupational health matters and must be accepted. Clothing must be adapted to the situation if necessary.
• In rooms which have a technical supply and exhaust air system, no additional individual ventilation is usually required. If you have any questions regarding the existing ventilation systems, please contact Department 4. Rooms in which additional manual ventilation by opening the windows is indispensable are marked accordingly at the entrance.

• The general hygiene regulations such as hand cleaning as well as coughing and sneezing etiquette apply.
• Soap and disposable towels are provided centrally by the Central University Administration. If they are missing or used up, this must be reported to Department 4.
• Personal items such as mouth-and-nose coverings, drink cups or bottles or food must always be clearly identifiable and stored in such a way that they cannot be used by others.
• Wearing a mouth-and-nose covering (MNB) plays a major role in slowing down the spread of COVID-19 and protecting risk groups from infection. To this end, it must be worn over the mouth and nose. For details, please refer to the “University hygiene regulations”, point 4.
• A mouth-and-nose covering must be worn by everyone from the moment they enter the university buildings in high-traffic areas within the buildings, especially doors and other entrance areas, passages, corridors, staircases, bathroom facilities.
• Employees may remove the mouth-and-nose covering after reaching their workplace in University buildings while working, as long as a minimum distance of 1.5 meters to employees working in the same room is maintained. If students and doctoral candidates use laboratory workstations outside of lectures, the regulations applicable to employees shall apply accordingly. The regulations on room occupancy and ventilation remain unaffected by this.
• At all events in the course of study in attendance, everyone must wear a mouth-and-nose covering, especially when seated. This regulation also applies to attendance examinations with more than 10 persons including examiners and supervisors. Exceptions only apply to events in the study course Sport/Sport Science and general University athletics during the sporting activity (see 11.3.5).
• The obligation to wear a mouth-and-nose covering also applies to accumulations of students for self-study in libraries, in rooms of the computer center, teaching rooms or other locations on campus.
• For other University events, especially meetings of University bodies, a mouth-and-nose covering shall be worn in traffic areas in the rooms where the event takes place.
• The obligation to wear a mouth-and-nose covering exists according to number 3 of the general decree of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau on measures to prevent the further spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus under infection protection law, also for University events which are open to the general public.
• Persons are exempt from the obligation to wear a mouth-and-nose covering if it is not possible or not reasonable due to medical or other compelling reasons. A medical certificate must be presented to substantiate the health reasons. This certificate must always be carried and shown on request.
• Employees must also present the medical certificate to the person responsible for the area and the coordination office (koordinierungsstelle@zv.uni-freiburg.de) without being asked. This can be done in electronic form.
• Students must present the medical certificate to the coordination office (koordinierungsstelle@zv.uni-freiburg.de) without being asked.
• Wearing a mouth-and-nose covering in accordance with these hygiene regulations as well as the Corona regulations of the country, as far as these regulations apply to the University and its employees, in the currently valid version, is part of the official duties. This applies accordingly to general decrees of the city of Freiburg. An intentional or negligent breach of the regulations for wearing a mouth-and-nose covering in accordance with § 3 Corona Ordinance or Corona Ordinance study operations and the arts constitutes an administrative offense in accordance with § 19 No. 2 Corona Ordinance or § 6 Corona Ordinance study operations and the arts and may also lead to consequences under labor or disciplinary law. Please note the bulletin no. 10/2020, “SARS-CoV-2-Virus: Obligation to wear a mouth-and-nose covering.”
• Wearing face visors without a mouth-and-nose covering is not considered an equivalent protective measure.
• Masks with exhalation valves do not provide protection from others and may therefore only be used if the minimum distance to other persons can be maintained safely.
• A sufficient number of mouth-and-nose coverings must be made available to employees. The costs for the provision have to be borne by the respective institution; the employees are not allowed to bear or share the costs. Washable and thus reusable textile mouth-and-nose coverings should be preferred. Orders can be placed via masken@zv.uni-freiburg.de. When textile washable models are used, at least five pieces per person must be made available to the employees; when disposable masks are used, a new mask must be made available every working day.
• The use of one’s own mouth-and-nose covering is expressly permitted.
• For reasons of infection protection, the cleaning of washable mouth-and-nose coverings must be carried out by the employees outside the University on their own responsibility. It is forbidden to set up a collection point for used mouth-and-nose-coverings of several persons.
• Students must carry their own mouth-and-nose coverings on the University grounds and wear it in accordance with the applicable regulations, in particular these Hygiene Regulations. If special hygiene or fire protection measures are required for classroom events, the institution concerned must also provide students with suitable masks from the faculty.
• The specification of special requirements for the MNB or masks is made by the responsible persons in the institutions after an appropriate risk assessment.

Employees who belong to a group of persons with a higher risk of developing a serious progression of COVID-19 must prove their status as belonging to a risk group as well as the increase in risk due to the work performance of the office by means of a specialist medical certificate on request.
Before releasing an employee with an increased risk, the institution concerned must, with the involvement of the employee, the safety department and the company medical service, examine the possibilities of telework or work reorganization in order to enable low-risk work performance.

• A pregnant woman can only continue to work if protective measures based on a risk assessment ensure that the pregnant woman is not exposed to a higher risk of infection at the workplace than the general population (e.g. no workplace in an open-plan office or with public access, no contact with a large number of people). This requires an individual risk assessment by the institution, including the pregnant woman and the safety department. If the risk assessment reveals an increased risk of infection, this is to be classified as an irresponsible risk in the sense of the Maternity Protection Act on the basis of the “Notes on the assessment of risks from SARS-CoV-2 in accordance with maternity protection law” issued by the Maternity Protection Committee for preventive reasons.
• Nursing mothers are obliged to seek advice from the Safety Department before starting work.
• Pregnant women and nursing mothers can, if they so wish, receive advice with a recommendation from the company medical service or the Safety Department.

• For the purpose of taking protective measures for University members, employees suffering from COVID-19 must, if they are unable to work or to perform their duties as a result of COVID-19, immediately notify the University if they are experiencing symptoms related to coronavirus or if they have had a positive coronavirus test result. The same applies to employees who have had contact within the past 14 days with a person confirmed to be suffering from COVID-19, or if a relative lives in the same household and suffers from or is suspected of suffering from coronavirus and there is a risk of infection according to medical opinion (see the Decree of the Ministries of the Interior and Finance on the handling of coronaravirus dated May 4, 2020 under points 7 and 8).
• For the purpose of taking protective measures for members of the university, the University may restrict access to buildings and areas of the University as well as participation in face-to-face events and meetings for persons, provided that such persons refuse to provide information that has been legitimately requested, in particular in compliance with the principle of proportionality. If data are processed, data protection regulations must be observed.
• The collection of SARS-CoV-2 specific symptoms such as fever measurements etc. is currently not permitted.

Starting February 22, 2021, in addition to persons from Group 2 of the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO – German only), educators and teachers in daycare centers, after-school care centers and schools are also eligible to be vaccinated.

Teachers at universities are currently NOT part of the eligible group and are therefore NOT eligible for vaccination.

https://sozialministerium.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/gesundheit-pflege/gesundheitsschutz/infektionsschutz-hygiene/informationen-zu-coronavirus/impfen/ (German only)

As of December 12, 2020, in Baden-Württemberg it is only permitted to stay outside of one’s own home throughout the day for valid reasons (§ 1c Corona Ordinance of the state of 12 or 16. December 2020). For times both during the day (05.00 – 20.00) as well as at night (20.00 – 05.00), these valid reasons include professional-related activities. Therefore, it is permissible should you have to come to the University for business reasons.

In the case of police checks, such business-related activities are acceptable without having to present a certificate.

However, it is advised to bring your UniCard or similar documents proving your employment at the University with you. If you want to be sure, you can also ask for an appropriate certificate from your office that underscores the necessity of your presence at the University.

The university buildings may only be entered for official purposes, the handling of study matters or for other important reasons. All university buildings are closed to the public. Access by persons not affiliated with the University must be restricted to the absolute minimum necessary. Employees of external companies must register. They must be informed about the measures of the university’s hygiene regulations and are obliged to comply with them.

The electronic access system SIPORT on the outer shell of the buildings (operated by UniCard) will be set back to normal operation on July 27, 2020. This means that the buildings can once again be entered in the way they were before the Corona crisis. However, the guidelines for opening buildings and the university’s hygiene regulations must still be observed.

To ensure controlled access, university buildings and facilities must be kept closed as far as possible. Manipulations to the doors for the purpose of keeping them open are prohibited and must be stopped immediately. It is essential to ensure that the doors in use are closed properly.

Functional e-mail addresses will also be accessible during reduced university operations. The representation is organized in such a way that at least one person of the second or third management level is on site on each day.

The business transactions will be scanned in the D2 and (if possible) digitally processed. We therefore ask you, from now on and until further notice, to send complete transactions only by e-mail. If documents from the Finance Department are also required in paper form, we ask you to mark on the documents that they are already available in digital form.

If you have not already sent us the order in paper form, the new procedure for “Order by e-mail” – Simplified procedure at the University of Freiburg” applies to your orders.

Please use SRM more often for your purchases, since the release is already done in SRM.

Due to the current corona crisis, the Ministry of Finance (MWK decree from March 17, 2020) has decided, in order to facilitate the implementation of short-term organizational measures (e.g. use of home office), that it is sufficient to document the exercised budgetary responsibilities (factual and arithmetical correctness, authority to issue orders) by e-mail correspondence in order to meet the formal requirements, especially with regard to the two-man rule principle.
Detailed service article on the implementation of this procedure [de]

Only orders per e-mail or post-registration documents sent digitally during the lockdown:

Please send all orders to the Financial Transactions Office via the “Order by eMail” process or as a post-registration by sending the documents digitally. Details on the procedure can be found at Service A-Z https://www.zuv.uni-freiburg.de/service/anordnung-per-mail.

Orders that have already been sent are not to be sent a second time by order by eMail to the Financial Transactions Office.

For documents that are still received as paper during the lockdown, an extended processing time is to be expected.There are no changes for SRM orders.

The Travel Cost Center division can currently be reached by e-mail or telephone.

The business units for civil servants, employees covered by collective bargaining agreements and research assistants are staffed during normal opening hours. You can reach the responsible clerks by e-mail or telephone. Please remember to submit your applications early so that they can be processed in time.

Please also note that you are not allowed to work without an employment contract signed by the personnel department.

If you have any questions, please contact the relevant department heads:

• Frau Edeltraud Fehrenbach (Tarifbeschäftigte), Tel. 0761/203-67591,
  edeltraud.fehrenbach@zv.uni-freiburg.de
• Ulrike Kulse (Beamt:innen, Reise- und Umzugskosten), vormittags von 9.00 Uhr bis 12.00 Uhr, Tel. 0761-203-4326,
  ulrike.kulse@zv.uni-freiburg.de
• Harald Schindler (wissenschaftliche Hilfskräfte, Personalentwicklung), Tel. 0761-203-4344
  harald.schindler@zv.uni-freiburg

The Department of Environmental Protection strives to continue to offer daily opening hours, regardless of further restrictions on University operations. All facilities in emergency or quarantine operation are requested to carry out all necessary waste disposal operations or to prepare them accordingly before closing or reducing operations. This includes hazardous materials, hazardous waste, but also perishable items such as food and residual waste. Please promptly contact the department. If your area has to be closed on short notice, please contact the department immediately.

Requests of the ZUV are to be sent digitally by e-mail to the contact persons of the Central Procurement Department with immediate effect. If the signature of the authorized person / supervisor cannot be noted on the form, the approval for the procurement must be obtained from the authorized person / supervisor by e-mail and sent to the Central Procurement Department.

For procurements of 5,000 euros (net) or more, all documents relevant to the award procedures (bill of quantities, signed procurement application and, if applicable, explanations) must also be sent to the staff of Central Procurement by e-mail as before.

The UniCard office for employees (location Fahnenbergplatz) has been closed since March 17, 2020  until further notice. Please clarify questions and problems with the respective personnel administrator by phone or e-mail. In case of loss or extension of the validity of the UniCard, please use the postal service, Personnel Department – UniCard Team.

The Staff Council, the Psychosocial Counseling Service, which all employees of the university can use free of charge in crises and/or conflict situations, the Company Medical Service, the Representative for Severely Disabled Persons and the Addiction Contact Point are still available as contact persons:in for you. Some of the counseling services have been changed to purely telephone contact. Please refer to the corresponding websites for up-to-date information.

Staff Council
Company medical service
Disabled Persons’ Representative Body
Addiction Contact Point

Psychosocial counselling service

Immediately again personal consulting discussions are locally possible in the psychosocial advisory service and the addiction contact place! Independent of this, the possibility for telephone consultation remains naturally existing!

Date agreement with Mrs. Stienkemeier table under Tel. 0761 203-4467 or by email: heike.stienkemeier-tisch@agj-freiburg.de or heike.tisch@zv.uni-freiburg.de

Appointment with Mrs. Portscht under 0761 203-4468 or by email: ursula.portscht@agj-freiburg.de

For your and our safety, we ask you to come with mouth and nose protection and to keep it on until you are in the consultation room. There the protection can then be removed with mutual agreement, because we can keep sufficient distance.

• The minimum distance requirement also applies to University events that can be held in a permissible manner (especially meetings of university bodies)
• For internal meetings with several people as well as job interviews (meetings), digital formats should preferably be used. If, exceptionally, such meetings are held in person, a minimum distance of 1.5 meters must be maintained between the participants. No more than 10 persons should participate in such face-to-face meetings.
•  University events with more than 100 participants are prohibited.
• A regular and sufficient ventilation of the rooms must be ensured.
• Only in justified exceptional cases, which may be exclusively for business reasons, can the implementation of projects be approved by the Safety Department on presentation of an individual hygiene concept. For this purpose, a corresponding application must be submitted to the Safety Department at least one week before the event takes place (the application form with hygiene requirements can be found on the Corona website of the University under “Employees” dated October 23, 2020).
• Any kind of company events of a social nature, e.g. Christmas parties, company outings, birthdays, etc., are prohibited. This also applies to company events outside University buildings.
• Special regulations apply for company events in accordance with the hygiene regulations.

In view of the progressive course of the pandemic, a far-reaching restriction of operations is still to be expected and a complete closure of the university cannot be ruled out. You should therefore prepare yourself and your area of work in a concrete and timely manner to ensure that University areas/buildings or the entire University can be closed down completely at any time and/or that people cannot return to work due to quarantine measures.

Please identify – if not already done – essential processes and, if applicable, critical infrastructure (research, laboratory results, data, etc.) in your areas that require timely securing and permanent care. Please urgently clarify internally who is responsible for these areas and who can take over the second and, if necessary, the third-party care in case of loss of personnel (illness, quarantine, etc.). It is recommended to create telephone lists in the facilities.

Essential work equipment and documents, especially notebooks and mobile phones, should be taken home as far as possible. Also remember important personal items (keys, glasses, papers, private mobile phone, medication, etc.).

Persons who have to carry out a system-relevant task essential for operations are granted official access authorization for closed buildings. This is signed by the head of the administration (chancellor) or the respective divisional manager/supervisor and is valid in conjunction with a valid UniCard, identity card and official seal. The authorization, the UniCard and the badge must always be carried on your person. Please make a list of the persons who have received such authorization. The basic building services is ensured by Department 4 within the scope of reduced operations.

The basic supply of the buildings is ensured by Department 4 within the scope of reduced operations.

• In the case of necessary business travel, the simultaneous use of vehicles by several persons should be avoided as far as possible.
• If this is not possible for compelling business or legal reasons, the group of persons who use a vehicle jointly shall be restricted, e.g. by assigning a vehicle to a specified team. The names of all persons who have been in a vehicle together during travel shall be documented in the driver’s logbook.
• For business trips with several people, it is mandatory to wear a mouth-and-nose covering. If the trip lasts longer than 15 minutes, an FFP2 mask must be worn. Before the first use, instruction in the correct use of this personal protective equipment is required. The maximum occupancy should be selected depending on the travel time. In general, for longer trips a limitation of one person per row of seats is recommended. This also applies to bus travel.
• In the case of transport and delivery services, options for the use of bathroom facilities must be provided for when planning the tour.
• If vehicles are used by several persons, controls that are often touched – such as the steering wheel, gearshift and door handles – must be cleaned before handing the vehicle over. This can be done with a cleaning solution containing tenside or a disinfectant cloth.
• Hand hygiene equipment (disinfectants, paper towels and trash bags) must be kept available in every vehicle. An appropriate set can be obtained from the Safety Department (sicherheit@uni-freiburg.de) for a fee.

For tariff employees

Possible contract extensions due to the Corona-related amendment of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (WissZeitVG – Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act)

With the Academic Research and Student Support Act due to the COVID-19 pandemic, among other things, the maximum fixed-term periods for contracts that are limited in time according to Section 2 (1) WissZeitVG were extended.  In addition, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research has currently extended these periods by an additional six months by ordinance.

According to the new Section 7 (3) WissZeitVG and the ordinance of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in this paragraph, it is possible for the permissible fixed-term period to be extended by 12 months if an employment relationship pursuant to Section 2 (1) WissZeitVG existed between March 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020. For employees whose employment relationship exists between October 01, 2020 and March 31, 2021, the permissible fixed-term period is extended by a maximum of six months.

This means that the statutory maximum fixed-term employment period for employees who are employed

• at the time between March 01, 2020 and September 30, 2020.
• and were qualified pursuant to Section 2 (1) WissZeitVG and were or are still limited by 12 months to six years and 12 months or to 12 years and six months,
• and for employees who were or are still limited by 12 months to six years and 12 months
• at the time between October 01, 2020 and March 31, 2021.
• and were qualified pursuant to § 2 para. 1 WissZeitVG as employees of the University of Freiburg, extended by six months to six years and six months or to 12 years and six months.

An extension claim or an automatic extension is not associated with this regulation. At the request of the responsible supervisor(s) with details of further financing and details of which qualification goal is to be achieved, contracts can be entered into for up to 12 months or up to six months (commencement of work between October 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021), depending on the individual case, if this is necessary and appropriate. In this case, please send a corresponding P6 request to the Human Resources Department and also attach a brief statement of the facts.

For employees who are employed on a fixed-term basis according to § 2 para. 2 WissZeitVG (third-party funding), the extension option listed here does not apply. In some cases, third-party funders also respond with extensions of the term, so that contracts can be extended accordingly here as well.

If you have any questions, please contact the personnel officer responsible for you.

For civil servants

Corona-related change to the State Higher Education Act

Extension of temporary civil service contracts upon request due to pandemic-related delays in further qualification

According to a newly created provision in the State Higher Education Act (LHG), temporary civil service contracts of academic advisors and junior professors that already existed between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 can be extended by up to twelve months upon request, pursuant to Section 45 (6a) LHG, in order to compensate for pandemic-related disabilities and delays in further qualification. 

Important: this extension option has now been increased from up to six months to up to twelve months.

However, there is no entitlement to an extension or an automatic extension associated with this provision; rather, it is at the discretion of the University.

The extension must be applied for informally in writing through official channels by the civil servant, stating the intended duration of the extension (up to twelve months). This application should clearly explain and justify why there were delays in the personal further qualification due to the Corona pandemic. This request must then be submitted to the Human Resources Department with a supplementary, supportive statement from the student’s direct supervisor and the approval of the dean of the respective faculty.

If you have any questions, please contact your personnel officer.

In the case of private travel to a region or country that is classified as a risk area and/or for which a travel warning from the German Foreign Office exists and for which quarantine (CoronaVO EQ see below) is mandatory upon return, it must have been clarified in advance with the supervisor that not only vacation/absence is approved, but also the subsequent absence due to quarantine, which is generally 14 calendar days (exception see below). A paid leave of absence can generally not be granted here. It must be clarified in advance whether there is the possibility of home office, reduction of overtime or an unpaid leave.

Return from risk areas:

Returnees from risk areas must go directly to their own home or other accommodation for the quarantine and may not leave it for ten days.

In addition, returnees from risk areas must report to the local police authority (municipality or the town hall of my place of residence/stay). For this purpose, please fill out the digital entry form https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de/  completely. You will receive a confirmation if the digital entry declaration is successful. Please carry this confirmation with you upon entry.

An immediate release from mandatory quarantine by presenting a negative test result upon entry is no longer generally possible. However, it is now possible to shorten the quarantine period by presenting a negative test result. The test may be performed at the earliest on the fifth day after entry.

Various exceptions from the quarantine obligation are taken into account (see § 2 CoronaVO EQ). Persons who are exempt from mandatory domestic isolation do not have to fill out a digital entry declaration. Border commuters and cross-border commuters, for example, are still largely exempt. The new exemption covers visits in the risk area or entry into Baden-Württemberg of up to 72 hours in each case, if during this time, among other things, first-degree relatives are visited, the travel serves to maintain the health care system or urgent medical treatment is necessary.

Answers to frequently asked questions about corona tests for travel returnees

In accordance with the decree of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finance of Baden-Württemberg dated January 11, 2021 (“Legal information on dealing with the coronavirus for civil servants and employees covered by collective agreements of the state”), in the current situation with particularly high infection figures, a presence of employees of the state in the office is to be reduced to the indispensable level.

Home office is therefore granted as far as possible, pragmatically, employee-friendly and flexibly by the respective superiors of the divisions. For the time being, no approval by the Human Resources Department is required in these cases; however, the Personnel Department must be informed of the approval of a home office by the supervisor in writing, preferably by e-mail.

For employees who may belong to a risk group, the relevant regulations of the University hygiene regulations apply.

The room concept and the possible occupancy of the rooms with regard to Corona-related requirements must be clarified on site – if necessary in consultation with the Safety Department.

For work in the home office, the general regulations apply in principle, with the exception, however, of the limitation of the amount of time spent in the home office to a maximum of 50% of the respective working time.

The working hours (see service agreement on working hours) must be recorded and documented for the supervisors.

The accessibility of the employees in the home office is to be clearly regulated and ensured in agreement with the supervisor. For this purpose, technical assistance, such as the conversion of the office telephone to the private telephone, if necessary, should be used.

The necessary equipment and, if necessary, access to the University network must be ensured.

The employment office and the employee are jointly responsible for ensuring data security and data protection.

Employees employed in the home office are also protected by accident insurance for official activities at their home office.

If employees want to apply for teleworking regardless of the Corona-related situation, a written application is required in accordance with the applicable service agreement.

Employees who look after one or more children up to the age of 12 or children who are permanently in need of care due to a physical, mental or emotional disability because no other care is available after the closure of schools and daycare facilities, can use working time credits and (old) vacations, if available. The departments are required to give priority to these applications for working time compensation or vacation and to comply with the wishes of the employees, unless there are official reasons not to do so.

Employees who have to look after their children themselves due to the closure of schools or childcare facilities and thus suffer a loss of earnings are entitled to statutory compensation in accordance with § 56 (1a) IfSG. This compensation currently amounts to 67% of the loss of earnings, a maximum of 2,016 € per month for a maximum of 6 weeks. Before the compensation claim can be asserted, priority must be given to positive working time credits and old vacation from 2019 and earlier. There is no compensation provided by law for the time when schools or childcare facilities are closed anyway (regular school or daycare vacations).

You can find more detailed, up-to-date information at https://ifsg-online.de/index.html.

Civil servants are not entitled to compensation according to § 56 Abs. 1a IfSG.

In cases of particular hardship (e.g. single parents without childcare facilities), employees may be granted leave of absence with continued payment of their remuneration or special leave with retention of remuneration, provided that the employees concerned have neither positive working time credits nor old leave from 2019 or earlier. This may not be opposed by reasons of business. The service shall be provided with evidence of the circumstances justifying the hardship case and the lack of a care facility.

The supervisor must inform the responsible personnel officer by e-mail about the granting of the credit.

For employees who are responsible for close relatives in need of care because a full- or part-time inpatient care facility has been closed due to the spread of COVID-19, the regulations on child care under “What rules pertaining to working time apply if I have to care for children at home?” The same applies to employees who have lost a full-time home care worker due to the spread of COVID-19. Proof of the closure of the care facility or the lack of care facilities must be made available to the office upon request.

Persons who have stayed in a risk area for less than 48 hours are exempt from the quarantine and testing obligation (see § 2 CoronaVO EQ).
This does not apply to persons who have stayed in a risk area for which a particularly high risk of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has been determined by the Federal Ministry of Health in agreement with the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Construction and Home Affairs (high-incidence area – widespread high incidence or virus variant area – widespread occurrence of dangerous virus variants in the risk area, see www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/coronavirus-infos-reisende.html). They are required to carry proof of no SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection already upon entry, or proof that the second dose of an EU-approved vaccine was administered at least 14 days ago, and to present it upon request to the competent authority or its delegated authority.
Since October 17, 2020, there have also been exceptions to the quarantine and testing requirement for short stays of less than 24 hours in Baden-Württemberg by persons from the border regions, including work-related entries from the risk area (for example, commuters).

Please fill out the application [de] and send it to the Personnel Department with a request for signature. The department will check the application and if the requirements are met, the certificate will be issued accordingly.

Legally insured parents can claim 20 days of children’s sick pay per child and per parent instead of 10, and a maximum of 45 days in total if there are several children, if their child is under 12 or is disabled and dependent on assistance.

Entitlement to children’s sick pay also exists if a child must be cared for at home because daycare centers or schools are closed, compulsory attendance at school has been suspended, or access to daycare services has been restricted. Parents can also apply for children’s sick pay if they are able to work from home. For single parents, the entitlement increases by 20 to 40 days per child and per parent, up to a maximum of 90 days if there are multiple children.

The need for care must be proven to the health insurance company by a certificate from the respective facility that has closed. You must also submit an application for the children’s sick pay to the health insurance company. You must then report the days for which you have applied for children’s sick pay to the relevant administrator in the Human Resources Department and also provide us with a copy of the certificate from the daycare center or school. The Human Resources Department will then report these days to the State Office for Salaries and Benefits, where salary payments for these days are then stopped.

Children’s sick pay is 90% of your lost net pay. There is a daily maximum limit for the children’s sick pay. It is 112.88 euros per day.

There is no additional entitlement under Section 56 of the Infection Protection Act (IfSG). The children’s sick pay can be applied for retrospectively from 05.01.2021.

Salaried employees who are not entitled to children’s sick pay and who have to care for their child, who is under 12 years old, at home because daycare centers or schools are closed, compulsory attendance at school has been suspended or access to daycare services at daycare centers has been restricted, are entitled to reimbursement under the Infection Protection Act.

Civil servants who have to care for their child at home due to corona because daycare centers or schools are closed, compulsory attendance at school has been suspended or access to daycare services at daycare centers has been restricted may also be granted special leave by their supervisor at his or her discretion in individual cases pursuant to Section 29 (1) no. 1 AzUVO in conjunction with no. 46.4 BeamtVwV.

Civil servants are not entitled to special leave according to § 56 IfSG.

A home office is to be used as a matter of priority, as far as this is possible for official reasons. Work-time credits and old leave must also be used as a matter of priority. Special leave that may have already been granted in 2020 must be taken into account accordingly. In any case, the responsible administrator in the HR department must be contacted and the further procedure clarified.

Since 22.02.2021, the daycare centers have returned to regular operation under pandemic conditions. Accordingly, the specifications for “regular operation under pandemic conditions” as well as the CoronaVO-Kita and the protection instructions from the KVJS (Kommunalverband für Jugend und Soziales), the UKBW (Unfallkasse) and the LGA (Landesgesundheitsamt) apply again.

You can find more information at https://www.familienservice.uni-freiburg.de/