Germany Considers Easing Its Strict Travel Restrictions Starting March 6

As per a new draft ordinance issued by Germany, the country is in the process of relaxing some of its strict travel restrictions, applying a different criterion for countries it considers to be high-risk. Quarantine mandates for children under the age of 12 were recently amended. Eshita Srinivas

Vast, stunning forests, pristine rivers, thriving markets, and bustling art culture draws many to Germany every year. With Easter, a major holiday in the region, fast approaching, the country is set to ease some of the travel restrictions. With the aim to make travel easier for families with children, a new draft ordinance states that Germany will have more stringent requirements in place to classify a country as high risk. This comes on the heels of the country removing several nations from its high-risk list and easing the burden of quarantine on children under the age of 12.

Only countries with widely circulating COVID-19 variants will be subjected to travel restrictions by Germany

 

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The latest ordinance states that starting March 6, Germany will add a country to its high-risk list only if it has the variants of COVID-19, with stronger pathogenic properties than Omicron, circulating widely. This indicates that travellers from the European Union as well as many others outside of the continent will be able to head there quite soon, Schengen News reports.

Earlier this week, The Local reports, the German government removed 40 countries from its high-risk list, including Belgium: Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Croatia, Luxembourg, Poland, Sweden, Hungary, and overseas territories of France and Netherlands. Non-European countries that were removed from the list are Argentina, Australia, Colombia, Peru, Philippines, Seychelles, Ukraine, Bangladesh, and Albania. India was delisted as a high-risk country on February 18, 2022.

Travellers coming in from non-at-risk countries only need to present a valid certificate of vaccination or a negative test report, without registering or following self-isolation rules. Those from at-risk countries will need to register with the government authorities and enter self-isolation for 10 days, during which they will be required to undergo a test. Proof of vaccination might reduce the period of quarantine, an update by the Embassy Of The Federal Republic Of Germany in India notes.

Quarantine restrictions for children and other mandates might soon be lifted as well

 

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That said, the country also recently lifted quarantine requirements for children, who had to self-isolate for five days upon arrival. A report by The Local quotes Health Minister Karl Lauterbach saying, “Children have had to cope with a lot in this pandemic. That’s why we are relaxing entry requirements at a time when the current Omicron wave has passed its zenith.” He further added, “Travel for families will be easier as a result. But they should still be cautious while on vacation.” This change is believed to come in on March 4.

Besides this, DW News states that a three-step process has been put in place to ease most travel restrictions in Germany. To begin with, private meetings with more than 10 people might soon be possible. Discotheques and clubs might reopen by March 4 and access to restaurants might be granted to unvaccinated people as long as they test negative. From March 20, mandatory work-from-home rules might also be lifted, while maintaining mask mandates on public and indoor spaces.

The latest draft ordinance, meanwhile, remains to be approved and has not officially entered into force as of yet. The Robert Koch Institute updates the list of countries every Friday and rules come into effect on Sunday, making March 6 the likely date for the ordinance to be put into practice.

Related: Bali Considers Removal Of Quarantine And Resumption Of Visa-On-Arrival From March 14

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