Which holiday destinations are affected by the new classifications?
The federal government has declared all of Spain and the Netherlands to be a high-risk area due to the high number of corona infections in the pandemic.
In other countries, too, the classification can change again and again. If you want to travel abroad, it is therefore worth taking a look at the current risk list of the RKI – It says which regions and countries are currently considered to be high-risk, high-incidence or virus variant areas.
What does the classification as a high incidence area mean for holidaymakers?
Entrants from high incidence areas must register online and show a negative corona test at the border, alternatively proof of vaccination or recovery. After returning home, a ten-day quarantine is mandatory, which can be ended prematurely after five days with a negative test. Vaccinated and convalescents are also excluded here.
Are children also subject to testing and quarantine obligations?
Children under the age of twelve cannot yet be vaccinated against the coronavirus. However, only the youngest are exempt from tests or quarantine: From their sixth birthday, children in Germany are treated like unvaccinated adults, so they have to be tested and, if they return from a high-incidence area, in quarantine for at least five days, even if their parents have been vaccinated and are thus exempt from the requirements.
On what basis are the classifications made?
As a threshold for classification as Risk area a seven-day incidence of 50 is considered to be High incidence area of 200. These values are not the only decisive factor, according to the RKI, on-site measures, test capacities and other data are also included in the assessment.
The status Virus variant area was introduced in Germany in winter in response to the discovery and spread of mutants in different parts of the world. Their introduction should be prevented as far as possible. The RKI criteria for classification speak of the spread of a variant which must be considered particularly dangerous and “does not occur at the same time in Germany”. Since the delta variant has meanwhile also established itself in Germany, Portugal and Great Britain were recently downgraded again from virus variant area to high incidence area.
What applies when traveling home from a normal risk area?
The RKI and the Federal Foreign Office usually classify countries with a seven-day incidence of over 50 to 200 as risk areas. Anyone who has been in a risk area ten days before entering Germany must also use the online Entry portal of the Federal Republic register, in case of difficulties is one Replacement notification in paper form possible. As a rule, the notification must be presented to the carrier, e.g. the airline. You can also upload a negative antigen or PCR test result online and are thus exempt from quarantine. Alternatively, the test can also be done after your return and emailed to the health department within 48 hours, after which the quarantine also ends.
Since July 1, the federal government has lifted the general travel warning for corona risk areas with a seven-day incidence below 200. Above all, this has consequences in terms of travel law: A package tour can usually be canceled if a travel warning is issued – and this was not foreseeable at the time of booking. This option can now be used much less frequently.
Which provisions apply to virus variant areas – and what will the updated entry regulations bring?
The status as a virus variant area brings with it the strictest currently possible restrictions on entry to Germany. Airlines as well as shipping, bus and train companies are only allowed to bring German citizens or people residing in Germany across the border from affected countries. These returnees, in turn, have to present a negative corona test and, without exception, have to be quarantined for 14 days after arrival. This requirement in particular means that virus variant areas can hardly be considered for a vacation, even for people with a high personal willingness to take risks.
That should change when the amended entry regulations come into effect on July 28th. It brings significant relief for fully vaccinated travelers: They may end their quarantine prematurely after a stay in a virus variant area if it can be shown that their vaccination against the virus variant is effective in the area visited. According to the new regulation, this is the case when the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has determined the effectiveness and announced it on its website. A corresponding list will soon be published on the RKI website. Those who enter the country then only have to submit their vaccination certificate to the responsible health department. However, children from the age of six without proof of vaccination or convalescence may not shorten the two-week quarantine in the future either.
The new regulation also takes into account the event that a virus variant area is downgraded again to a high incidence area, as happened recently in Portugal and the UK. So far, a quarantine that was imposed had to be held through to the end anyway, in future it can be shortened in accordance with the rules for high incidence areas.
When will the changed provisions for returnees take effect?
In the event of changes to the risk classification, the Federal Government always states the date of entry into force. Often there are around two days between notification and entry into force. For travelers, the date of their return home is decisive. Even vacationers who have informed themselves about the applicable regulations before leaving Germany can therefore be confronted with changed requirements on their return, for example a quarantine.
What should I watch out for when traveling home by plane?
Returning to Germany by plane is independent of the Corona situation in the respective country a negative test is always required, including when returning from a non-risk area. It must be presented to the airline before take-off abroad – otherwise the passenger is not allowed to board. This also excludes children up to five years of age as well as those who have been completely vaccinated and those who have recovered with appropriate evidence.
Which tests are accepted as evidence for return travelers?
Antigen tests as well as PCR, LAMP and TMA tests are recognized in Germany. Similar to the PCR test, the LAMP test detects the pathogen directly. The TMA test is a molecular test that provides similarly reliable, but faster results. It is important that trained personnel carry out or monitor the tests and that they are carried out by a legally authorized body. The date of the test and the type of test must be noted on the proof. Antibody tests are expressly not recognized.
When are you “fully vaccinated” and when “recovered”?
For “vaccinated” status, at least 14 days must have passed since the last required injection – the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has one vaccine, the other three vaccines twice. This is proven via the digital COVID certificate of the EU, which you can either receive with the vaccination, download it from the vaccination registration portals or have it issued at a later date in the pharmacy with the yellow vaccination pass. It is available in both paper and digital Covpass app of the RKI on the smartphone Recognized across the EU. Those who have recovered who have also received a vaccination are also considered fully vaccinated after 14 days and can have the digital certificate issued at the pharmacy with the vaccination pass and the positive PCR test from the time of their illness.
Those who have recovered without a vaccination enjoy the same benefits as those who have been vaccinated, at least for a certain period of time. In Germany this is the case for six months, in other countries this may be regulated differently. With the positive PCR result, doctors’ practices and pharmacies receive a health certificate that can also be uploaded to the Covpass app.