Rules for patients receiving outpatient and semi-inpatient care
At present, the following patient groups must show proof of a negative rapid antigen test (within the past 24 hours) or PCR test (within the past 48 hours) upon arriving at any Charité outpatient facility:
- Vulnerable patients, such as those receiving hemato-oncological care or otherwise immunocompromised patients
- Patients receiving daily inpatient care: Testing for SARS-CoV-2 is required at least twice weekly for those visiting Charité daily. It is important to test after the weekend or any other interruption in daily inpatient treatment (for example, the patient must show proof of a negative test every Monday and on one other day of the week).
- Patients who are in the outpatient clinic for a longer period, for example for preoperative evaluation/preliminary examination
- Patients participating in outpatient clinical studies
In these cases, spot checks will be performed at the outpatient facility.
For all other patients receiving outpatient care, testing is recommended but not required.
Children and teens without symptoms are generally not required to show proof of a negative test. For those experiencing symptoms typical of COVID-19, the appointment should go forward only if it is medically urgent and after consultation with the treating physicians. Measures to protect against coronavirus transmission should be observed.
FFP2 masks are still required in all Charité outpatient facilities.
For patients who are accompanied by others, the rules for visitors and companions must also be observed.
Rules for visitors and accompanying visitors
Inpatients are permitted to receive one visitor per day, for a maximum of one hour. Critically ill patients will be exempt from this restriction.
Outpatients, day case patients and patients attending Charité’s emergency departments may bring one accompanying visitor.
All visitors and accompanying visitors must provide proof of a negative rapid antigen test result obtained on the day of their visit (no self-test).
The aim of these rules is to prevent the virus from entering and spreading through Charité, and to optimize the level of protection in place both for Charité staff and for particularly vulnerable patients with severe underlying medical conditions.
What these new rules mean in practice:
- Only individuals with a negative rapid antigen test result will be permitted to visit or accompany patients. This rule also applies to fully vaccinated and recovered individuals. To be considered valid, the negative test result must be no older than 24 hours. This testing requirement also applies to children above the age of 5 and to adolescents. Presentation of the child’s student ID card will not be sufficient. Asymptomatic children aged 5 or younger will not require proof of testing.
- To gain admission to hospital grounds, all visitors will be asked to show proof of a negative test result, in addition to an identity card or passport.
- Children and adolescents under the age of 19 who are being accompanied by a parent or carer during their stay may continue to receive one visitor (another parent or carer) for up to one hour every day. Exceptions may be made in certain circumstances, subject to discussion with the ward’s clinical and nursing managers.
Test centers
- For Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), you can use the test center situated on Brahmsstraße, near the northern entrance. In accordance with the current version of the Coronavirus Test Ordinance (TestV), the center offers both rapid antigen- and PCR-based testing. All tests falling under the individual entitlement (Bürgertestung) category will be free. The test center’s opening hours are: Monday to Friday, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday (including public holidays), 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
- At the Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), an external mobile testing station is available at the so-called "Storchenparkplatz" near the entrance to the central emergency rooms (opening hours: Monday to Friday from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM).
- On Campus Virchow-Klinikum (CVK), you can use one of two external test centers, which are situated at the Augustenburger Platz and Seestraße entrances. The Augustenburger Platz and Seestraße test center are open daily from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday (including public holidays) from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
The following rules remain unchanged:
- Mask mandate and distancing rules: Visitors and accompanying visitors must wear FFP2 masks (without a valve) at all times while inside Charité buildings and maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 meters from others whenever possible, including when outside.
- Individuals with symptoms of respiratory infection will not be permitted within any Charité buildings.
Please bring your identity card or passport with you to your scheduled visit. These will be checked at the entrance and your details recorded. You will then be issued with a visitor pass or visitor armband and granted admission to the hospital grounds.
Visitors are advised that checks at entrances may result in delays. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. To minimize delays, please ensure that you have all required documentation ready for inspection.
The collection and processing of personal data is solely for infection control purposes, in order to ensure the safety of patients, visitors, accompanying visitors and hospital staff should an infection develop or be diagnosed at a later stage. All collected data will be erased after a period of 2 weeks. Please click on the following link for more information on the processing of personal data under the GDPR.
Charité is one of the largest university hospitals in Europe. All of our clinical care, research and teaching is delivered by physicians and researchers of the highest international standard. Charité proudly lays claim to more than half of all German Nobel Prize winners in Physiology or Medicine, including Emil von Behring, Robert Koch, and Paul Ehrlich. Charité is internationally renowned for its excellence in teaching and training. Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin represents a single medical faculty, which serves both Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin. Charité extends over four campuses, and has over 100 different Departments and Institutes, which make up a total of 17 different CharitéCenters. Having marked its 300-year anniversary in 2010, Charité is now one of the largest employers in Berlin, employing 17,600 staff (or 20,900 if including its subsidiaries), and with a total annual turnover of €2.3 billion (including external funding and investment grants).
