Stricter controls required: the federal and state governments advise on returning travelers

For fear of the Delta variant, calls for stricter corona controls of travelers returning are louder. The federal government is currently rejecting this, but is now discussing it with the state leaders.

In view of the spread of the delta variant of the corona virus in several countries, the federal and state governments still want to exchange ideas today about the existing rules for return travelers. According to media reports, a switch between the heads of the state chancelleries and the head of the chancellery, Helge Braun, is scheduled. Resolutions are not to be expected, however, it said.

In this context, several prime ministers had called for stricter regulations to prevent the corona situation from worsening again. Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is currently rejecting stationary border controls, as the interior minister’s spokesman said. The Federal Ministry of Health also stated that “currently no change to the entry regulations” is planned. There is currently a “very strict entry regime,” said a spokesman.

And the Chancellor is also against tightening the entry rules at this point in time. Angela Merkel spoke out against border controls that were temporarily introduced last year. These are “something very hard,” she said in front of the Franco-German parliamentary assembly. She is of the opinion “that something like this should not happen again”. In the fight against the pandemic, there must be close regional coordination in Europe, said Merkel.

Müller: Samples are not sufficient

Hamburg’s Mayor Peter Tschentscher had criticized the fact that an antigen test is currently sufficient to avoid quarantine when entering from risk areas. Instead, all non-vaccinated people returning from high-risk and high-incidence areas should go into quarantine. Tschentscher had told the “Welt” that this should not be lifted until after five days at the earliest in the event of a negative PCR test.

Berlin’s governing mayor Michael Müller said on ZDF that the random samples that are currently being implemented by the federal police were not enough. He is therefore clearly in favor of stricter rules, said the current chairman of the Prime Minister’s Conference (MPK).

Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil also spoke out in favor of changing the Corona entry regulation. “I advocate double testing for all returnees who have not yet been fully vaccinated,” said the head of government of the daily newspaper “Welt”. “Even in countries with comparatively low incidences, you run the risk of meeting other holidaymakers who carry the much more contagious Delta virus with them.”

Municipalities against stricter rules

The Association of Towns and Municipalities opposed stricter rules for returning holidaymakers. “More important than an adjustment of the entry regulation is the control of the existing regulations for entry registration and quarantine”, said chief executive Gerd Landsberg the newspapers of the Funke media group. The previous regulations on compulsory testing for air travel and for entry from virus variant and high incidence areas should be retained. “Quarantine regulations are also needed, which should apply to virus variant areas regardless of any vaccination,” said Landsberg. “The entry regulation currently also provides these measures, so that an immediate adjustment is not necessary.”

Landsberg also appealed to all travelers to “make use of the extensive test offers or self-tests after their trip, regardless of the duration of the journey, location and means of transport”. This could rule out the possibility of spreading the virus.

Risk, high incidence, and virus variant areas

The Federal Government regularly assesses the corona situation abroad and distinguishes between virus variant areas in which variants classified as worrying are spreading, high incidence areas with a seven-day incidence of over 200 and risk areas with over 50. So far, only returnees from high-risk, high-incidence are subject – and virus variant areas test obligations.

Due to the falling number of infections, however, numerous holiday areas in Europe have recently fallen off the list of risk areas. Those who return to Germany from there by land no longer have to observe any entry restrictions.

For air travelers, however, there is still a general test obligation: everyone – whether from a risk area or not – must present a negative test result, proof of vaccination or recovery before departure.