Corona Update, May 17th 2021

The constantly changing decisions being made by the German federal and state governments to combat the coronavirus mean that many expats, along with everyone else, are faced with having to keep track of current regulations and then acting in accordance with the rules. That is why PROGEDO – the first friend abroad – regularly informs interested parties and customers about current events in Germany relating to Covid-19.

Since there is now a lot of information on the homepage of the German federal government on the subject of coronavirus, we no longer go into detail about all the information. The homepage with full details can be found here, although unfortunately this page is not available in English:

https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/coronavirus/coronavirus-handeln

Easing of restrictions for those vaccinated and recovered as per 9 May 2021

In Germany, people who are vaccinated against Covid-19 or have recovered from proven infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus are now, as of 9 May, exempt from some restrictions, partly due to the positive development of case numbers among newly infected people.

Essentially, these are exemptions from contact and exit restrictions, individual non-contact sports, access to shops and other facilities without first having to obtain an up-to-date  coronavirus test, and exemptions from quarantine requirements when entering the country from areas where a virus variant is still prevalent.

You can read about these exemptions here:

https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/issues/restrictions-eased-for-vaccinated-persons-1911192

This means that, with effect from 9 May, the previous quarantine rules will no longer apply to all entrants from high-risk and high-incidence areas that have received full vaccine protection through a vaccine approved by the Robert Koch Institut, or can demonstrate recovery from the Covid-19 disease. Additionally, at least 14 days must have passed since the last vaccine dose prior to entry, and vaccinated individuals must not present any related symptoms. A person is considered recovered if he or she can show a positive PCR test at entry, that is at least 28 days old and no more than 6 months old, and has no relevant symptoms.

Where can I read about this and what does it mean for travellers? The Coronavirus Entry Ordinance (CoronaEinreiseV), in effect as of 12 May, now provides a uniform regulation for the whole of Germany regarding the obligation to register, quarantine and provide proof of testing, as well as the ban on travel from regions with virus variants. You can find the specific wording here: 

https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/service/gesetze-und-verordnungen/guv-19-lp/coronaeinreisev/coronaeinreisev-en.html

In short, all air travellers who want to enter Germany, regardless of whether they are arriving from a high-risk area or not, must now present a negative test result to the airline before departure. Alternatively, proof of vaccination or recovery is also acceptable. If you have been in a high-risk area within the last ten days before entering Germany, you must also complete a digital entry registration form on the website www.einreiseanmeldung before entering Germany. The confirmation that you then receive is required by the airline as proof of the registration for entry. As a rule, no passenger can travel in such cases without this confirmation.

If you are travelling to Germany by another means of transport, e.g. by train or car, it is advisable, unless you have a vaccination certificate or proof of recovery, to have the test carried out shortly before entering the country and to complete the digital entry registration form.    

Tip: Ideally, you should also upload your current coronavirus test result or the vaccination/recovery certificate as an attachment to the digital entry application.

What happens if you enter Germany, e.g. by car, from a high-risk or high-incidence area without a digital entry application?

In such cases, the so-called “obligation to segregate” applies. In other words, you must go into domestic quarantine for 10 days immediately after arrival. You are not allowed to leave your house or apartment during this time, nor are you allowed to receive visitors. The only exception is if you take a coronavirus test (for details please see the next paragraph).

The domestic quarantine can be terminated prematurely if proof of recovery, proof of vaccination or a negative test certificate is submitted via the online immigration portal of the Federal Republic of Germany at https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de.  If you are travelling from a high-risk area, you can do this immediately after arrival, so you do not have to go into quarantine at all. After a previous stay in high-incidence areas, testing can be carried out at the earliest five days after entry, so until then you must be in quarantine in any case, unless you can provide proof of vaccination or recovery.

The mandatory quarantine regulations will remain in place until at least 30 June 2021.

Here you can find out which vaccines are currently approved:

https://www.pei.de/EN/medicinal-products/vaccines-human/covid-19/covid-19-node.html;jsessionid=7C5C1F40D15D82C0313C9490002868FF.intranet211?cms_tabcounter=0

The Russian vaccine Sputnik V, the Chinese CoronaVac and the Indian vaccine Covaxin, for example, along with some others, are not on the list. This means that people who have been vaccinated with one of these vaccines and want to enter Germany will still have to go into quarantine as was previously the case.  

An overview of which countries currently rank among those areas with virus strains, high incidence areas and risk areas can be found here:

https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Transport/Archiv_Risikogebiete/Risikogebiete_aktuell_en.pdf?__blob=publicationFile

Unfortunately, you will not find a list of all countries that are no longer considered risk areas and from where you can enter Germany without having to go into quarantine. Instead, you will only be able to view updates here if countries or regions within countries have been newly designated as such. Currently, only the following countries are listed here in full (last updated: 7 May 2021):

1. Albania
2. Antigua and Barbuda
3. Australia
4. Barbados
5. Brunei Darussalam
6. China
7. Cook Islands
8. Dominica
9. Dominican Republic
10. Fiji
11. Grenada
12. Great Britain and Northern Ireland (except Anguilla and Bermuda) Update: 22th of May
13. Hong Kong
14. Iceland
15. Israel
16. Japan
17. Cambodia
18. Kiribati
19. Korea (South)
20. Laos
21. Macau
22. Malta
23. Marshall Islands
24. Mauritius
25. Micronesia
26. Myanmar
27. Nauru
28. New Zealand
29. Palau
30. Portugal (except Azores and Madeira)
31. Rwanda
32. Solomon Islands
33. Samoa
34. Singapore
35. Sri Lanka
36. St Kitts and Nevis
37. St. Lucia
38. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
39. Taiwan
40. Thailand
41. Tonga
42. Tuvalu
43. Uganda
44. Vanuatu

If a country is not listed here, it is at least possible that regions of a country no longer rank among risk areas. As with the countries, this also changes constantly for the regions, so you should definitely check this again at short notice before travelling. Currently, this applies to parts of Finland, Norway, Portugal and Spain, for example.

For all areas with virus strains, there is currently an absolute ban on infection, i.e. no travellers (with a few exceptions) are allowed to enter Germany from these areas. In addition to some African countries, including South Africa, these include above all Brazil and India.

Meanwhile, there is a great deal of information about the coronavirus on the homepage of the German government. The video series “#Impfwissen” currently answers 12 questions on subjects related to vaccination against Covid-19. These can be found by entering #Vaccinefacts in the search mask.

An overview of all videos released so far can be found here: https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid

However, the so-called “federal regulation on the emergency brake” is still in force. You can find out details here:

https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/nationwide-emergency-brake-1889136

Even though the federal regulation on the emergency brake now applies nationwide, the federal states are still responsible for its implementation in practice. There may well be variations from region to region, which is why you should always check the page of the federal state you are travelling to. You can find them here (in German only):

https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/coronavirus/corona-bundeslaender-1745198

PROGEDO is happy to support you during the pandemic. For example, we offer special quarantine packages for people entering the country. Find out more here.

PROGEDO will also be happy to inform you about the current situation in each federal state upon request.

Another important notice: We have provided all information to the best of our knowledge and in good conscience. We cannot guarantee completeness, nor are we liable for the content provided here. The facts are simply too complex to make this assurance and there are always adjustments and changes being made. In case of any doubt, please contact us directly or find out more by visiting the homepage of the Federal Ministry of Health in Germany.