Is this the 10,000th COVID-19 statement you’ve read today? We’ll try to keep it brief. This is what we’re expecting over the next few months and how we plan to deal with the challenges that might arise in Berlin.
Public offices might cancel your appointments
If you’ve booked a Red Tape interpreter to go with you to an appointment taking place within the next few weeks or months, it might get cancelled by the public office. This depends on how urgent your request is and how the office is coping with the pandemic. If your appointment is cancelled, you will get an email, an SMS or a phone call from the office. Please forward it to us immediately so that we can let your translator know not to come. Normally our notice period is 24 hours, but we’re being a bit more flexible: if you let us know by 6pm on the working day before your appointment, we will refund your fee or keep it in credit for the rebooked appointment.
The office you want to visit without an appointment might turn you away
Public offices in Berlin are now working at a restricted capacity. That means they’ll handle urgent requests and will postpone everything else until later.
Public transport might not be running normally
If you are going to brave an appointment at a public office over the next few days or weeks, consider riding your bike, driving or walking. Public transport will be running at reduced capacity. Our translators are prepared for this, too.
All coachings and Life Admin help will be given over Skype
For the next few months, it won’t be possible to book a coaching in person with Kathleen at Factory Berlin, but online coachings will continue as normal. If you need a signed statement from Kathleen (e.g. to give to your bank following a verbal translation of loan documents to get your loan paid out), she’ll sign it and upload it for you.
We’ll be online to help you get the info you need
The German government has set up information hotlines galore. Hotlines for citizens and residents, business owners, potential patients, hotlines to get info on how to apply for loans, tax breaks, funds, etc. If you need help getting the information you need to
- figure out how to keep your company afloat
- find out your rights
- check what to do next in a health crisis
we will be online to help you make calls, fill out forms, write emails or set up video meetings. We’re reducing the price of Life Admin from 49 EUR to 35 EUR an hour until the end of April.
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