Germany introduces mandatory testing for travelers from China

Germany will also introduce a test requirement for travelers from China because of the corona wave there. This was announced by Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach on Thursday. The German entry regulation will be changed at short notice, travelers from China will need at least one rapid antigen test when traveling to Germany, said the SPD politician.

Lauterbach spoke of a good decision. “Europe has found a common response to the pandemic situation in China. This is exactly what we as the federal government have done.” In addition to mandatory testing, the Minister of Health announced spot checks upon entry to identify virus variants. In addition, there will be additional waste water controls for trips to China. A spokesman for the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that there were already sewage tests at Frankfurt Airport. This could be expanded, for example, by examining the wastewater from individual aircraft from China. Austria had announced that it would do this for all flights from China starting next week. It was initially unclear when the rule would come into force.

On Wednesday, representatives of the 27 EU member states agreed to only make a recommendation for mandatory testing, which should not be binding. Lauterbach, among others, saw no need for mandatory tests for people entering China. He only spoke out in favor of stricter “variant monitoring”. Shortly before, the German Minister of Health had also expressed concern about the new corona virus variant XBB.1.5. Austria also rejected such a step. Italy, Spain and France have already pushed ahead and introduced stricter rules on entry. The US, Australia, Japan, UK, India and other countries have also imposed restrictions on travelers from China.

At the beginning of December, the government in Beijing announced an abrupt departure from its strict zero-Covid policy under the pressure of protests and a flagging economy. Since then, a corona wave has been rolling through the country with around 1.4 billion inhabitants.

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