Updated rules for arrivals by Czech citizens and non-citizens to the Czech Republic can be found on the webpages of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. The system is currently operating on the “traffic light” principle, dividing countries into green (lower risk of infection), orange, and red (higher risk of infection). If you are arriving in the Czech Republic from a “red” country, you must fill in an electronic arrival form, and provide proof of a negative PCR test for Covid-19, or submit to such a test in the Czech Republic within 5 days of your arrival. More detailed information, including regular updates, a continually updated list of countries with lower risk of infection, and useful contacts can be found here. The information therein is liable to change and is constantly being updated.
Recommandations
UP management is requesting your thoughtfulness and responsibility in this regard. If arriving foreign students feel any kind of symptoms of disease, please restrict your movement in the city and on campus to the absolute minimum, and in the event of persistent trouble, please contact a doctor (in accordance with your health insurance, via help lines with a contracted doctor; in the event of an emergency, please contact the Emergency Room (www.fnol.cz/lekarska-pohotovost) at University Hospital Olomouc. Wearing masks and observing other rules to prevent spreading the disease are mandatory when visiting medical facilities. If additional information is needed, contact the UP International Office (iro@upol.cz) or your coordinator. Information on testing for COVID-19 in Olomouc is available on covid.fnol.cz/testing-at-the-olomouc-university-hospital.
UP is hereby advising those students who arrive in the Czech Republic via Václav Havel Airport in Prague to get tested there (at the airport). The result of PCR test should be submited to the hygiene station immediatelly.
Until the test results are known, international students should limit their movement in the city to an absolute minimum, and we advise to do the same in university spaces and to manage any affairs via telephone or e-mail until you receive your results. Students awaiting results will be temporarily housed in special quarantine rooms at UP dormitories. If the COVID-19 test results are negative, then students will be allowed into their regular dorm rooms.
Students who provide proof of negative COVID-19 test results can be admitted to their normal dorm rooms upon arrival at UP. The test can have been conducted in the country of their residence, but this does not preclude the necessity of being tested once again in the Czech Republic, according to the conditions set by the Czech Ministry of the Interior.
Insurance, accommodation, recommendations
International students must arrange health insurance before their arrival in the Czech Republic – which must also cover possible fees for COVID-19 treatment – for the entire period of their study stay, regardless of whether they are staying at the UP dorms or in private accommodations. The university is required by law to accept responsibility for arriving international students in the areas of healthcare, accommodation, and transit to and from the Czech Republic. Thus if you are an international student who has not been able to manage the above before arrival, contact your coordinator as soon as possible, before your arrival, and visit the UP webpages where supplemental information and recommendations on health insurance and accommodation are available.
UP management is asking students who will be staying at the UP dorms for especial thoughtfulness and responsibility regarding their current state of health. If the situation requires it, the dormitories will be separated into limited capacity rooms which can function as quarantine areas. The functionality of this arrangement has been tested already at UP during the spring course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
UP management is also advising international students to limit their personal visits to the UP Student Office and International Office to the absolute minimum. Students’ questions can comfortably be resolved by e-mail or telephone; or if necessary, physical visits can be arranged in advance. In certain UP buildings, students may encounter the necessity to sign a statement regarding their not being infected. UP management also advises international students to keep a supply of reusable or disposable masks on their person at all times.