On 30 January 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The WHO has issued a set of recommendations for ensuring that basic protective health measures be implemented in an aim at decreasing the risk of exposure and potential spreading of COVID-19 disease. For more information please have a look at the WHO website: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Furthermore, on the basis of the Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in Humans (Infektionsschutzgesetz/IfSG), the state can order preventive protective measures and, for example, prohibit gatherings of people, close communal facilities and observe sick persons and so-called persons suspected of being ill or infected and – in extreme cases – even quarantine them.
On this occasion, we wish to assure you that we have implemented the recommended safety protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of both our staff and our valued customers. We are also following the official recommendations regarding travel restrictions (Information on country-specific travel warnings can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of Health).
As a result of Corona Virus, it is reasonable to expect that destination services (housing, orientation…) and visa services will be impacted especially in countries such as Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan and China due to travel restrictions that have been imposed and also government office closures.
We recommend to expect delays and also long queues in many Embassies and also official government offices.
As it currently stands, we will continue to deliver Immigration assistance and destination services to those Assignees already in Germany, however, this will depend on public offices availability and closures.
Please be aware that in some countries many government offices have already closed in some cases until mid to end April or until further notice. These closures will impact directly on visa and immigration processing.
We promise you that we are monitoring the current situaton. We will do our best to keep you updated on the general situation, government guidelines and impact on Destination and Immigration Assistance delivery.
We thank you for your understanding and cooperation so that we may all do our part in keeping you our valued customer and also our team SAFE!
Your Start-Up Services Management Team
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