COVID-19_ Regulation and tips for quarantine - International Office

Some people have to stay at home under quarantine, e.g. after entering Germany from a "Hochrisikogebiet" or after a positive test. Quarantine means that you are not allowed to leave your home. Even if you do not have any symptoms of sickness, it is important that you stick to it.

The health authorities must officially end the quarantine.

If you rent a room in a dormitory and share the kitchen as well as bathrooms with other students, we generally recommend to always wear a nose-mouth-cover and to keep a safe distance from other students whenever you leave your own room. This applies especially if you are inside the buildings.

If you have to go into domestic quarantine (because either you have entered Germany from a risk area or because you have received a positive corona test result), you must stick to the following rules:

Do not leave the building at all.
Order groceries or meals online or through a delivery service. You can also ask friends or neighbours if they could buy groceries for you.
If possible, bring some groceries with you. You can drink water from the tap.
Bring bed sheets and linen or a sleeping bag, as well as towels. You cannot buy those either in a shop during quarantine.
Do not receive guests in your room.
Always wear your nose-mouth-cover and keep a minimum distance of 2 m to other students when leaving your room.
Only use the community rooms (kitchen, bathroom, toilets, laundry etc.) when there is no other person in it and as seldom as possible.
Do not share dishes, linen, towels or other utensils with other students.
Wash your hands regularly with soap and air all rooms regularly and after using them.

You must follow those rules for your quarantine or until your quarantine has been lifted officially in writing by the local health authority.

Here are some tips on how to cope in the time of quarantine:

Bring some food with you if you can, for example canned food, pasta, rice, etc. (of course you have to clarify in advance if you are allowed to take this with you on the plane). There are various delivery services that deliver food and groceries.
You should bring a few euros in cash in case you need to pay with money. This can also be important if neighbors or friends bring you the purchases. In Germany not everything can be paid with the card.
The drinking water in Germany is of very good quality - it is safe and healthy to drink water from the tap.
Bring important utensils like sleeping bag or bedding and towels if it is not available and you cannot buy it immediately.
It can be a very hard time to isolate yourself for two weeks. Sometimes, people report a fear of infection, that it is hard to stand the loneliness and also the unknown surroundings. So try to stay in good contact with your family or friends. Even if space is tight - there are many free fitness and sports programs that are also possible in small spaces.
Please ask at your Department to bring you in contact with students from your study programme (maybe from higher semesters, maybe from the same country). This might help to link you to your start of the studies.

Please always act sensibly and according to the official regulations, so that we can avoid an outbreak of COVID-19 in the dorms or elsewhere. Protect yourself and others!

If you are unsure of the situation or before getting into serious trouble, do not hesitate to contact us!

Please also pay attention to the official information given by FH Münster:
https://en.fh-muenster.de/hochschule/aktuelles/infoseiten-studierende.php