Dear University of Cologne Students abroad,
 
if you have not yet terminated your stay abroad, please consider very carefully to do so now after all. Please keep in mind that the situation on site can change very quickly and that the travel possibilities are already very limited and will certainly deteriorate. Please pay attention to the travel and safety instructions of the German Foreign Office (“Auswärtiges Amt”), which has meanwhile issued a worldwide travel warning. In addition, we advise you to sign up for the crisis prevention list of the Federal Foreign Office; please follow the instructions on the homepage (elefand.diplo.de).
 
For ERASMUS students:
 
We would ask you to inform the respective Erasmus coordinator, the ZiBs or the ZfL here at the UoC of your decision and to keep all Erasmus documents and related papers and travel documents in a safe place! After your return, we will be able to clarify any questions you may have about the final financial settlement of your stay abroad once we have received more specific information from our funding agency, the DAAD/National Agency Erasmus+.
 
For students studying abroad outside the ERASMUS area:
 
We would like to ask you to notify/discuss your decision with your contact person in Department 93 of the International Office or (in the case of decentralized programs) in the respective faculty. If you are awarded a scholarship, please keep all documents and related papers and travel documents safely so that questions regarding the financial settlement of your stay abroad can be clarified at a later date.
 
If you decide to return home, please note that the stricter border regulations around the world have led to a significant reduction or suspension of air travel by many airlines. The Federal Government of Germany wants to ensure that all German citizens who are stranded abroad can return home. A number of particularly affected countries will be at the forefront of this effort, as for now especially Morocco, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, the Maldives and the Philippines. Please inform yourself about the travel and security instructions of the German Foreign Office regarding COVID-19.
 
Further information from the University of Cologne on how to deal with the current situation can be found here: https://portal.uni-koeln.de/coronavirus. Please pay particular attention to the prevention and hygiene measures. If an infection is detected, the authorities of the respective country will decide what measures will be taken. As in Germany, the authorities can order quarantine procedures, which are to be followed. The nature and extent of the procedures depend on the respective circumstances and developments in each individual case.
 
Please inform yourself regularly about the current state of developments.
 
If you have any questions, we will of course be at your disposal (via e-mail or telephone).
 
We wish you all the best and greet you from Cologne.
 
Your Department 93