Corona virus
VDMA Service Portal

The Corona pandemic poses numerous challenges for companies' day-to-day operations. Our service portal provides VDMA members with country and travel advice, information on legal and insurance issues, and helpful links to other organizations.

On 25 January 2023 the federal cabinet approved the early repeal of the SARS-CoV-2 Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance. The ordinance will expire on 2 February 2023.
Only in a few sectors will there be an obligation for employees to inform their employers about their vaccination status. However, as long as there is no obligation to provide information, companies will be deprived of an important prerequisite for effectively reducing the risk of infection in the workplace.
Employers and employees must do everything to reduce the risk of infection in companies to zero. This includes at least an obligation to inform employees whether they have been vaccinated or not.
Short-time work is declining, employment is rising, the economy has picked up speed. Time to reconsider lump-sum state Corona aid for companies and employees.
The EU Commission is drawing its lessons from the Corona pandemic. From the VDMA's point of view, it is clear that only open markets and global partnerships contribute to economic recovery.
The uncoordinated border closures during the Corona pandemic have shown that the internal market is not crisis-proof. It must be strengthened, which is why a new Schengen strategy is the right thing to do. Member States must seek European solutions.
The federal government has announced that it will involve company doctors in the vaccination strategy at the beginning of June. In order for the campaign against the Corona virus to gain further momentum, the promise must be implemented.
The EU should quickly agree on a single European vaccination passport and introduce the Digital Green Certificate across Europe. This would greatly facilitate the posting of workers within the EU.
Company doctors must be provided with sufficient vaccine from the outset.
The Corona crisis tempts to "short-sightedness": What are the daily case numbers and what is the status of the vaccination progress? However, it is also important to look ahead and ask how Germany is positioning itself as a business location and how it must transform itself. The VDMA is actively involved in this dialogue with politicians.
The mandatory offering of self-tests in companies is manageable for machine and plant manufacturers. The VDMA now expects the public authorities to ensure that the vaccination campaign in Germany continues to gain momentum and is organized efficiently.
The mechanical and plant engineering sector is defying the pandemic and picking up speed again. Many companies expect production to increase in 2021. The government is now called upon to accompany this with an innovation-friendly policy for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The federal and state governments have corrected their decision concerning additional "days of rest" during Easter. This is a good signal: in principle, the dialogue between politics and industry is working, even under the pressure of the Corona pandemic.
Holy Thursday as an official „day of rest“ - this presents companies with major organisational challenges and causes considerable costs. It is not clear what can be gained if industry is shut down for an additional day.
A faster fight against the pandemic can also succeed with the help of Corona tests in the companies. Many machine and plant manufacturers are actively preparing for this - but it must be a voluntary measure for employees and companies.
Two new VDMA information leaflets on Covid-19 offer assistance in assessing the risk of infection in enclosed spaces.
Germany needs growth to pay the enormous costs of the Corona crisis and to be able to invest in the future. To achieve this, industry in Germany and Europe must remain competitive.
The increasingly resurgent calls for border closures within the EU must be buried as a matter of urgency. Border closures in the internal market would have unforeseeable consequences.
Even in Corona times, machine manufacturers have to fulfil their social responsibility and maintain production. A legal home office obligation with fines would therefore be absurd.
Visa procedures suspended for 68 countries
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On 25 January 2023 the federal cabinet approved the early repeal of the SARS-CoV-2 Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance. The ordinance will expire on 2 February 2023.
Trade fair postponements and cancellations could be lawful against the background of the loss of the basis of the contract, so that exhibitors are not entitled to claim damages, as a ruling by the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main shows.
On December 14, 2022, the German Cabinet approved the Ordinance on Extended Access to Short-Time Workers' Compensation.
The rewrite of the SARS-CoV-2 Occupational Safety and Health Rule was voted on Dec. 16, 2022, in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (ASTA) Committee.
The German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) recently published and updated FAQs on the new SARS-CoV-2 Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.
In September 2022 it was decided to extend individual special regulations for the receipt of short-time allowance.
The VDMA has compiled advice and experience from various companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector on how to maintain production despite a pandemic.
The bridging aid has been improved and expanded once again from January 2021 and now also offers more mechanical engineering companies the opportunity to use and help with financing. Bridging aid is a grant towards fixed costs that does not have to be repaid. The Corona assistance funding period covers November 2020 to June 2021, and the maximum monthly funding amount for all companies is now up to €1.5m.
Checklists, information on legal and insurance aspects, and contacts at VDMA.
Short-time work, home office, sick leave and the opportunities of the crisis. Here you can read an overview of the assessments of the HR managers in our industry. In the download you will find the complete presentation of the results.
With the removal of US entry restrictions, business travel between Europe and the US is returning to normal mode. However, the entry status for convalescents is not explicitly regulated. There is an urgent need for clarity here.
The US government is planning to lift entry restrictions in the USA for travellers from Schengen countries. The VDMA has been calling for this measure for some time and has repeatedly pressed for it in political talks. It is good that there is now movement in the matter.
The EU should quickly agree on a single European vaccination passport and introduce the Digital Green Certificate across Europe. This would greatly facilitate the posting of workers within the EU.
Since the beginning of the year, the People's Republic of China has tightened the entry requirements for foreign specialist staff to such an extent that it is hardly possible for SMEs to comply. As a result, many machines and systems cannot be installed or maintained. The VDMA is calling for pragmatic solutions.
Additional PCR test after entry eliminated.
Air-Suvidha registration waived
Rapid antigen test sufficient
The increasingly resurgent calls for border closures within the EU must be buried as a matter of urgency. Border closures in the internal market would have unforeseeable consequences.
Air travel to Colombia is slowly resuming (as of 16.06.2021).
Life has returned to normal in Brazil. Entry is possible with vaccination protection, convalescent status is not recognized.
Israel has lifted all corona-related restriction. However, trips to Israel need to be registered before departure. (Status 30.06.2022)
It is possible to send employees to Egypt. (as of 27.06.2022)
Foreign travellers seeking a short-term stay in the United Arab Emirates (e.g. tourists or business people) may enter the country, provided they meet the general entry requirements (as of 28.04.2021).
The EU-Commission published on 13 May 2020 a so-called tourism and transport package. One aim is to help the EU Member States in gradually lifting the travel restrictions imposed to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
Visa procedures suspended for 68 countries
Various aspects and developments affect the mechanical and plant engineering industry. VDMA conducts flash surveys to show the referring impacts on the industry.. Here you will find the NRW evaluations of the individual surveys.
Companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector in North Rhine-Westphalia are coming under increasing pressure from the current problems in supply chains and energy supply.
Bavaria's mechanical and plant engineering sector expects to make up, at least in part, for the severe economic setback suffered by Corona in the current year.
The 9th VDMA flash survey shows that the effects of the corona pandemic for the mechanical and plant engineering industry in NRW are not as serious as feared. Nevertheless, there is still a rocky road ahead.
The state-specific NRW results of the VDMA's 8th "Blitz" survey show that - contrary to initial hopes - the economic recovery is still some way off.
The Saarland state government is expanding its package of measures to help Saarland companies in the Corona crisis.
All information specific to the state of Hesse has been compiled on a single Internet site for all departments. Among other things, all ordinances and general ordinances on combating the corona virus are available here at a glance and as downloads.
The 7th VDMA flash survey shows that the majority of mechanical engineering companies in North Rhine-Westphalia expect the situation to improve in 2021 after a disappointing year in 2020.
The worldwide spread of the corona virus (2019-nCoV) also leads to numerous questions for companies. The Ministry of Economics, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture publishes important information and contact persons for affected companies.
According to the VDMA's 6th flash survey, the vast majority of NRW machine builders (more than 80 percent) are confident of returning to the nominal sales level of 2019 by 2022.
According to the VDMA's 5th flash survey, almost all of the North Rhine-Westphalian mechanical and plant engineering companies surveyed see their operations impaired.
Over the past few weeks, the Executive Board of the North Rhine-Westphalia Regional Association has held intensive discussions on the impact of the Corona crisis on the mechanical and plant engineering sector.
83 percent of the mechanical engineering companies in North Rhine-Westphalia have already taken measures to adjust capacity.
The "Procurement" task force of the NRW ministries coordinates inquiries and offers via central mail address.
For your information and convenience, we have compiled an overview and the corresponding contact details and web addresses below. We hope that this will help you in your work. If you have any questions or general queries or concerns during this difficult period, please do not hesitate to contact us.
The VDMA NRW is closely monitoring the developments around the corona virus. For VDMA members, topic-specific information on legal and insurance-related issues is available.
Various information portals are available to member companies for dealing with the corona pandemic: in addition to a central VDMA website, the North Rhine-Westphalia regional association also offers a constantly updated website with NRW-specific information.
Due to the corona pandemic, a growing number of companies in various industries are facing completely new challenges. In the meantime, the Federal Government has also sharpened its instruments for comprehensive liquidity protection and uncomplicated receipt of the short-time working allowance.
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Helpful Informations
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Federal Foreign Office
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Corona crisis: short time allowance
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KfW Corona support for companies
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Government support for industry
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BMWI: Überbrückungshilfen Mittelstand
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Government support "go-digital"
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Corona: world market impact
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Robert Koch Institut
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Corporate pandemic planning
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Operation of air conditioning and ventilation
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Trade Fair Association AUMA: Changes in dates of trade fairs
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Data protection in the Corona crisis context
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Information given by DAkkS
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