Great Britain, Israel, Russia and Portugal – the delta variant of the coronavirus is on the rise everywhere. The list of affected countries is growing. In Germany, the proportion of this much more contagious variant is already 25 percent. Ascending trend. The fear of a fourth wave grows at the beginning of the main travel season. The federal government and federal states discussed the situation on Monday, but have not yet adopted stricter rules for those returning home.
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach had previously called for the test obligation for travelers returning to be tightened. Those who come from vacation should have themselves tested before they return home and have to repeat the test five days after entering the country. “It would be a wise arrangement to even include quarantine for those who come from risk areas in the five days in between.” Berlin’s Governing Mayor Michael Müller (SPD), his Hamburg colleague Peter Tschentscher (SPD), Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) and Bavaria’s Minister of Health Klaus Holetschek (CSU) called for something similar.
But there are also dissenting voices. The Federal Government’s Tourism Commissioner, Thomas Bareiß (CDU), warned against unnecessarily unsettling vacationers. The Association of Towns and Municipalities also rejects stricter rules for those returning to travel. But what rules actually apply to tourists returning to Germany?
What is the obligation to provide evidence and to whom does it apply?
Anyone who wants to travel to Germany by plane must present a negative test result, proof of vaccination or proof of recovery. And that applies to all air travelers, regardless of how low the incidence value in the holiday country is. The proof may be a maximum of 48 hours old for antigen tests, 72 for PCR tests. In virus variant areas, the period for antigen tests is shortened to 24 hours. The time at which the sample was taken is always decisive and not when the result was communicated.
Which tests are accepted as evidence?
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.
What applies when returning 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 normal risk areas (current list: www.rki.de/risikogebiete). Anyone who has been in a risk area ten days before entering Germany must register online via the RKI entry portal Sign in. Travelers will then receive a PDF file as confirmation. If registration is not possible online due to technical problems, a Replacement notification in paper form fill out. 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. The test can also be done after your return and emailed to the health department within 48 hours. From then on you are exempt from the quarantine obligation.
What applies when returning from a high incidence area?
Areas of high incidence are countries that have a seven-day incidence of more than 200. You can also find them on the RKI list of risk areas. Anyone who comes back to Germany from such a country must also register before entering the country, must be in quarantine, but can test themselves after the fifth day. In this case, those who have recovered or are fully vaccinated are exempt from the quarantine obligation.
What applies when returning from a virus variant area?
When classifying as a virus variant area, the strictest travel restrictions apply. Great Britain and from Tuesday also Russia and Portugal were declared virus variant areas because of the spread of the delta variant. Airlines and other transport companies are then banned from transport. However, the ban does not apply to German citizens and people who live in Germany. You may be brought back. A 14-day quarantine obligation applies to all returnees, including those who have recovered and who have been vaccinated. Free testing is not possible.
What other rules apply to vaccinated and convalescent people?
Instead of a negative test result, certificates of vaccination and recovery can be presented for entry into many countries, including Germany. Those who have already been vaccinated or recovered are usually exempt from entry quarantine. An exception applies when returning from virus variant areas (see above).
What happens if you have already booked your vacation, but the country is later declared a virus variant area?
Anyone who has booked a package tour to Portugal in summer or autumn should first contact their tour operator and not cancel immediately. The declaration on the virus variant area is initially only valid for 14 days. Most organizers try to make it possible to change bookings to another country or at a later date. Travel law expert Paul Degott, for example, sees it as unlikely that the declaration on the virus variant area can be asserted as an exceptional circumstance that could be canceled free of charge. This only applies if the stay in the country is unpredictably severely impaired. Many organizers have recently offered better cancellation conditions and corona insurance packages. Vacationers should check whether this covers this case.
What if you are already in the holiday country and this is declared a virus variant area?
Organizers such as the Portugal specialist Olimar have made their guests an offer to bring them back on Tuesday before the virus variant regulation begins. Those who do not want this have to be in quarantine for 14 days upon return. If the vacation was shortened as a result, you may get a partial refund of the travel price. However, the organizers are not obliged to do so.
What happens if the corona test is positive before the return trip?
If you test positive for the corona virus before your return flight to Germany, you will not be able to take the planned return flight. The costs for a later flight must usually be borne by yourself. A quarantine obligation also applies to those who have tested positive in the holiday resort; this can vary in length depending on the holiday destination. In principle, however, the obligation to go into isolation applies during the quarantine. This also excludes the return journey by bus and train. Whether a patient can be repatriated to Germany by the ADAC, for example, depends on the quarantine regulations in the holiday country and in Germany. In some countries, such as Mallorca, there are special quarantine hotels for holidaymakers who have to go into quarantine.
Are there any other changes?
From July 1st, a new regulation will come into effect, according to which the declaration on risk areas is no longer automatically accompanied by a travel warning from the Federal Foreign Office. Instead, travel is only advised against if the weekly incidence is between 50 and 200. This changes little in practice, but makes it easier for vacationers and tour operators to plan trips. The EU vaccination certificate, with which you should actually be able to travel freely within the EU, will also apply from July 1st. However, this can be restricted by national regulations, for example on virus variant areas.