Dear members, partners & friends,
In the U.S., the presidential elections are only a few days away -- or are they over? Many voters have already cast their vote: in Massachusetts more than half of the 2016 voter turnout has been recorded; in Texas more people voted early than the entire state's 2016 turnout.
Germany has announced " Lockdown Light" which will go into effect on Nov 2nd, primarily shutting down the social life while schools, offices and retail remain open ( ABC News | FAZ). One of the reasons cited for this step are the high infection numbers and the inability to follow through with contact tracing and isolate cases (see our poll from last week: an app is hardly used around here for that).
Take a look at this week's #poll, especially if you are working for a German subsidiary or in international operating businesses or roles (it's assumed that English is the common denominator). We are speaking at a career event next week and would love to share this feedback.
If you need to distract from the election frenzy: We have a full event schedule, and please register soon.
Stay healthy.
Emily Westhoven
Executive Director
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This question closes on 11/5: |
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Results from last week's poll: |
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Presenting Series Sponsor |
This event is supported by |
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A look at Hamburg's HafenCity and other models |
Most cities around the world face a common issue: city centers have largely lost their mixed use as they have been taken over by commercial activity (shopping, entertainment, work) while residential life has moved to the peripheries or “hip” (and expensive) quarters, leading to long commutes into the city, exacerbating traffic (and emissions), empty city centers after workhours. We will explore how the U.S. and Germany (and other parts of the world) use different approaches and technologies to tackle these challenges, including looking at the example of Hamburg’s HafenCity (HarborCity) project.
Panelists:
- Matt Noblett, Partner, Behnisch Architekten
- Mike Lake, CEO, Leading Cities
- Gesa Ziemer, Professor, Hamburg HafenCity University
Date: Thursday, November 12th, 2020
Time: Noon to 1PM EST
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This will be the second in a series of monthly "Smart Cities" virtual events leading up to our German-American Economic Forum, now scheduled for Spring 2021. #GAEF2021 |
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Many of you will remember the Euro-American Speednetworking event we hosted in September. It turns out that there is group of transatlantic organizations from East to West Coast in the United States who are part of the “The Ripple“, the largest online networking event based on professional matchmaking for and by the transatlantic business community. We are excited to join them for their 3rd edition — opportunity awaits, come make waves! If you participated in our Euro-American Speednetworking event, you know the drill — this is just bigger! If you are new to the concept, click for more info below.
Date: Thursday, November 5th, 2020
Time: 12PM EST
Platform: Conversation Starter
Cost: Complimentary
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From campaign trail to a real trail:
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As election season is heating up and the campaign trail getting crowded, we are looking forward to another GABC member group hike/walk on a real trail! Middlesex Fells Reservation is a large nature gem in the middle of a bustling Boston (sub)urban area. We will zone out "election noise" and enjoy a stress relieving walk with GABC members and friends.
Date: Saturday, November 7th, 2020
Time: 10AM
Cost: Free for members | $5 per non-member
Exact meeting place to be announced
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Non-members: Please register and pay via our registration page. |
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Members: Please email us your name(s). This will serve as your RSVP. We need to keep tabs on #s.
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Join this casual virtual gettogether of GABC members or those new to the GABC. The Stammtisch is hosted by the YPs, but everyone is welcome. If you have participated in any of the previous virtual Stammtisches, you know that we like to have a theme or icebreaker. The Oktober one was all about Oktoberfest (naturally), and we suspect in November, there may be quite a bit of chatter about the elections. This virtual event is usually approx. an hour long, but if the conversation flows, it may run a little longer...
Date: Tuesday, Nov 10th, 2020
Time: 7PM EST
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In April, we heard from BlackRock’s Kurt Reiman with predictions about what the US market might do under the pressures of the global pandemic. Now, seven months later, the same group of speakers will revisit those predictions and the current state of the US economy in consideration of both Covid-19 and the US presidential election. (This is a partner event with Swissnex and SACCNE.)
Date: Wednesday, Nov 11th, 2020
Time: 2:30pm to 3:30pm EST
Platform: WebEx (live only, no recording)
Cost: Complimentary
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Deconstruction the Cost of Healthcare |
Originally scheduled for this past March, the Life Sciences Panorama is now fully virtual and complimentary to attend. You will hear from highly regarded experts on the challenges in reimbursement and market access strategy, how to value the therapeutic benefits of your product even at early stage and what value really means to an investor or to a payer. (This is a partner event with FACCNE)
Date: Wednesday, Nov 18th, 2020
Time: 12:00pm to 2:30pm EST
Platform: Hopin
Cost: Complimentary
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Save-the-Date for our virtual Holiday Celebration where we will close out this year with a getting together we never had before, filled with entertainment, opportunity to socialize and yes, a reflection on 2020!
Look out for more information and block your calendar.
Date: Friday, December 4th, 2020
Time: 6PM EST
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Goethe Institut's Virtual Career Booster
The Goethe Institut is hosting two US-wide virtual Career Days for high school and college students. Whether your high school students are interested in studying in Germany or wanting to hear first-hand about various career opportunities with German, representatives of German business and higher education are looking forward to answering participants' most burning questions. This event is free, but registration is mandatory. Full program
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Missed the Smart Cities virtual Launch event?
You can watch it now!
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We had great interest in our kick-off event to our virtual German American Economic Forum Smart Cities series with more than 100 registrations! Our speakers from Siemens Smart Infrastructure and Turner Construction as well as moderator Rick Dimino shed light on cities' potential post-pandemic future and changes! Watch the recording.
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In the News | Pressespiegel |
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Mass. economy rebounds at a record pace in Q3 |
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"The state’s real gross domestic product, or GDP, increased at an annualized rate of 37.7% from July through September, the fastest pace on record, MassBenchmarks reported on Thursday.
By comparison, from April through June, the Bay State economy had shrunk at an annualized rate of 31.6%, according to MassBenchmarks. Based on new data, the state's second-quarter decline was not as bad as MassBenchmarks had initially projected."
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It may be time to reset expectations on when we’ll get a Covid-19 vaccine |
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"Pauses in clinical trials to investigate potential safety issues, a slower-than-expected rate of infections among participants in at least one of the trials, and signals that an expert panel advising the Food and Drug Administration may not be comfortable recommending use of vaccines on very limited safety and efficacy data appear to be adding up to a slippage in the estimates of when vaccine will be ready to be deployed. "
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German firm to bring 100 jobs to Marlborough |
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"The Sartorius Group has announced that it will create 100 jobs in Marlborough when it launches its new North American Customer Interaction Center. The German life sciences company, which has a location in Cambridge, manufactures laboratory instruments and consumables. Sartorius Group announced Thursday that it will expand its presence in Massachusetts with a 40,000-square-foot location in Marlborough at 150 Locke Drive."
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„Wir stehen an einem Scheideweg“ |
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"Der Teil-Lockdown im November hat die Prognose der Regierung allerdings nicht mehr verändert. Es bleibt bei den schon Anfang der Woche durchgesickerten Zahlen. Demnach rechnet die Bundesregierung für dieses Jahr mit einem Rückgang des Bruttoinlandsprodukts (BIP) um 5,5 Prozent im Vergleich zum Vorjahr und im kommenden Jahr mit einem Wachstum von 4,4 Prozent."
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Update from Lufthansa / Logan Airport (10/1) |
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LH422/423 (BOS-FRA) will remain at 5 weekly flights for the duration of the winter schedule, but days of operation and timings will change. It is still the only direct flight to Germany out of Logan. The BOS-MUC flight may be introduced next March pending further developments.
LX54/55 (BOS-ZRH) is now flying twice weekly (arrival in BOS Thu and Sat | Departure Fri and Sun) and may increase to three times a week in March.
Lufthansa Lounge is open on Lufthansa and Swiss flight-operating days, 4 hours prior to departure.
All of these announcements are subject to re-evaluation at any point given the uncertainty of the current situation, so expect frequent short-term changes in the schedule.
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As you may be thinking about summer travel plans, we compiled a few guidelines and restrictions that are in place. Ohne Gewähr: Please note that this may change at any time and please always refer to the most updated information issued by the respective countries.
Travel to Germany:
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U.S. citizens who are not residents of the EU and do not fall into one of several narrow exceptions will be denied entry to Germany. Travelers should be prepared for the possibility that additional travel restrictions will be implemented with little or no advance notice. (Source: U.S. Embassies & Consulates in Germany)
- In case you enter Germany from abroad and have been in a risk area* for 14 days prior to entry, generally, a 14- day quarantine is mandatory. Furthermore, you are legally required to provide information of your address during your stay in Germany. Exceptions are possible in the case of a negative PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 for a maximum of 48 hours before entry or after entry. (Source: Robert Koch Institut)
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UPDATE 8/14: American spouses/family members of German citizens can now enter Germany to reunite with their partners/familys. (Source: Federal Foreign Office)
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UPDATE 10/30: Expected as of November 8 are the following regulations: Arriving from a risk country: "If no other grounds for exception apply, these individuals may only be released from the obligation to self-isolate at home – no earlier than 5 days after entering Germany– if they provide proof of a negative test result." (Source: Auswärtiges Amt)
Travel to U.S. from Europe
- Foreign nationals who have been in any of the following countries during the past 14 days may not enter the United States:
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European Schengen area Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City
- United Kingdom
- Republic of Ireland
- Citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States, certain family members, and other individuals who meet specified exceptions who have been in one of the countries listed above in the past 14 days will be allowed to enter the United States through one of 15 airports
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After arriving to the United States from one of these countries, CDC recommends that travelers stay home and monitor their health for 14 days. (Source: CDC)
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UPDATE 6/26: Executive Order "Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak"
UPDATE for Massachusetts as of 7/24: Today, Governor Baker issued a new travel order stating that effective August 1, 2020, all visitors and returning residents entering Massachusetts are required to "Complete the Massachusetts Travel Form prior to arrival, unless you are visiting from a lower-risk state designated by the Department of Public Health; to quarantine for 14 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72-hours prior to your arrival in Massachusetts. If your COVID-19 test result has not been received prior to arrival, visitors, and residents must quarantine until they receive a negative test result. Failure to comply may result in a $500 fine per day." More information
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Free Covid-19 Testing at Frankfurt Airport
Lufthansa has partnered with Centogene to offer fast PCR Corona tests. The test, certified by the relevant health authorities in Germany, only requires a throat swab and provides results within six hours. The test results are delivered via an app link.
Location: Frankfurt Airport between Terminal 1 and the long-distance railway station (ICE Bahnhof)
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 6 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Mandatory tests on return to or arrival in Germany from high risk countries
Travellers arriving in Germany from regions with an increased risk of infection will have to undergo a coronavirus test from the beginning of August 2020. The test is free of charge and can be carried out, for example, at test centres at the airports. The obligatory test must be done within a maximum of 72 hours after entering the country. Tests from abroad are accepted, provided they are not older than 48 hours at the time of arrival. (Source: Lufthansa)
Update 9/28: As of September 15th, travelers arriving from high risk countries will continue to have the right to receive a test free of charge. (Source)
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Testing is also available at
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Our annual supporters (thank you) |
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GERMAN-AMERICAN BUSINESS COUNCIL of BOSTON
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