If the 7-day incidence in EU countries is more than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants over a longer period of time, these places have so far been classified as “simple risk areas”. If the incidence is over 200, the countries are classified as high-incidence areas. Areas with a particularly high risk of infection due to the widespread occurrence of certain SARS-CoV-2 virus variants are in turn considered virus variant areas.
That should be abolished!
“Simple risk areas” are to be omitted
From August this regulation will apparently no longer apply. As FOCUS Online learned from the travel industry, a corresponding draft from the Federal Ministry of Health is already available. At the request of the federal government, vacation countries should no longer be classified into three, but only into “high-risk areas” and “virus variant areas”. The “simple risk areas” then disappear.
High-risk areas should then be classified as such from an incidence of 100.
Explosive: According to the Federal Government’s request, unvaccinated travelers from high-risk areas should be placed in 10-day quarantine. Unvaccinated vacationers should only be able to test themselves after the first five days. Vaccinated and convalescent people should be able to enter the country without any problems with their evidence. The regulation should also apply to children up to 12 years of age. But you should be able to leave the quarantine after the fifth day – without a test.
The fact that returnees from virus variant areas must remain in quarantine for 14 days remains unchanged. You cannot end this isolation early with a test either.
Quarantine for Greece vacationers too?
If the draft becomes law, a ten-day quarantine would then apply to returnees from Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal and Cyprus. In these countries, the 7-day incidence currently exceeds 100.
German citizens who are currently on vacation in France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland and Luxembourg have so far been spared from a quarantine obligation.
According to the planned draft, unvaccinated returnees would have to register and be tested before departure. On arrival, they would then have to be in quarantine. Even if those affected are planning a short trip to Austria, Italy or Belgium.
On Friday, the Federal Foreign Office wants to publish an updated risk assessment for vacation countries. It is unclear whether Greece will become a quarantine holiday country from Sunday or only when the new classification occurs. The Mediterranean country has had a 7-day incidence of over 200 for ten days now.