No general shutdown of German archives despite reinforced measures against COVID-19
As of 02 November 2020 COVID-19 regulations were enhanced in Germany due to infections rising exponentially. What influences this will have on our work will remain to be seen since many issues are uncertain. Our experiences from spring have, however, shown that we are very well prepared and will be able to continue our work for you in any case.
The good news is that archives are still allowed to open in Germany. Still, some archives decided to close, if they had ever reopened after the spring. We, of course, keep an eye on the situation and will let you know, if your research might be subject to substantial delays due to the closing of an archive.
In general, it is still necessary to make an appointment at the archives and only a limited number of persons is allowed in each day. Therefore there can still be minor delays even if the archives are open. Also, processing times of administration offices can be longer since they may still be working through a backlog and people are often working from home again.
In other countries the situation is often similar. In some cases we know that already reopened archives have closed again - until further notice. The research situation therefore remains quite inconsistent.
We still thank you for your patience, if your research takes a little longer at the moment - especially since we know that you are excited to learn about the findings. One thing we can promise you: No matter from where we work, the office or from home, we will continue to assist you with your research and will make possible whatever can be made possible. According to our experiences from spring this is a lot. And since we continue to request documents and information, we make sure that the orders will be processed as soon as possible and do not end up at the end of a big stack of orders.
We wish you, your families and friends that you all stay healthy and look forward to your inquiries, wishes and researches.