From October 1st, according to a decision by the Federal Cabinet, there will be assessments tailored to the situation in the individual states. A spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office said that this will practically not change the possibility of traveling. However, a differentiated system will be adopted.
From October: Individual travel warnings for countries with risk areas
"Until September 30, everything will remain as it is before," said the AA spokeswoman on Wednesday in Berlin for the explanation. "From October we will return to an individual system for each country." There will continue to be travel warnings for countries with risk areas (you can find a list of the current Corona risk areas below in the article).
These could also be lifted if, for example, there were quarantine regulations. However, in such a case, travel is strongly advised against. "Particular caution" could also be advised in other cases.
Travel warning is not a ban
A travel warning is not a ban, but is intended to have a significant deterrent effect. However, it also has a positive side for consumers: it allows travelers to cancel bookings free of charge.
On March 17, Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) announced an unprecedented measure due to the rising number of corona infections: A warning against tourist travel to all around 200 countries in the world. Only in June – immediately before the start of the main holiday season – the countries of the European Union, the border-control-free Schengen area as well as Great Britain, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican State were excluded.
Robert Koch Institute: Corona risk areas
The classification as a corona risk area means that travelers and returnees from these areas have to take a mandatory test for the corona virus and go into quarantine after entering Germany. It is crucial for the classification as a risk area that the number of new infections is more than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over seven days.
All corona risk areas (as of September 10):
- Afghanistan (since June 15)
- Egypt (since June 15)
- Albania (since June 15)
- Algeria (since June 15)
- Andorra – the Principality of Andorra (since August 26th)
- Angola (since June 15)
- Antigua and Barbuda (since June 17)
- Equatorial Guinea (since June 15)
- Argentina (since June 15)
- Armenia (since June 15)
- Azerbaijan (since June 15)
- Ethiopia (since June 15)
- Bahamas (since June 15)
- Bahrain (since June 15)
- Bangladesh (since June 15)
- Barbados (since June 15)
- Belarus (since June 15)
Belgium – currently the risk areas are:
- Brussels Region (since August 21)
- Belize (since June 15)
- Benin (since June 15)
- Bhutan (since June 15)
- Bolivia (since June 15)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (since June 15)
- Brazil (since June 15)
Bulgaria – the following administrative districts ("oblasts") are currently considered to be risk areas:
- Blagoevgrad (since August 7th):
- Burkina Faso (since June 15)
- Burundi (since June 15)
- Cabo Verde (since July 3rd)
- Chile (since June 15)
- Costa Rica (since June 15)
- Côte d'Ivoire (since June 15)
- Dominica (since June 17)
- Dominican Republic (since June 15)
- Djibouti (since June 15)
- Ecuador (since June 15)
- El Salvador (since June 15)
- Eritrea (since June 15)
- Eswatini (since June 15)
France – the following overseas territories / regions are currently considered risk areas:
- Île-de-France (since August 24th)
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (since August 24)
- Occitanie (since September 9th)
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine (since September 9th)
- Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes (since September 9th)
- Corsica (since September 9th)
- Overseas Territory: French Guiana (since August 21)
- Overseas Territory: Guadeloupe (since August 26th)
- Overseas Territory: St. Martin (since August 26)
- Gabon (since June 15)
- Gambia (since June 15)
- Ghana (since June 15)
- Grenada (since June 17)
- Guatemala (since June 15)
- Guinea (since June 15)
- Guinea Bissau (since June 15)
- Guyana (since June 15)
- Haiti (since June 15)
- Honduras (since June 15)
- India (since June 15)
- Indonesia (since June 15)
- Iraq (since June 15)
- Iran (since June 15)
- Israel (since July 3)
- Jamaica (since June 15)
- Yemen (since June 15)
- Cameroon (since June 15)
- Kazakhstan (since June 15)
- Qatar (since June 15)
- Kenya (since June 15)
- Kyrgyzstan (since June 15)
- Colombia (since June 15)
- Comoros (since June 15)
- Congo DR (since June 15)
- Congo Rep (since June 15)
- Korea, People's Republic (since June 15)
- Kosovo (since June 15)
Croatia – the following counties are currently considered risk areas:
- Šibenik-Knin (since August 20)
- Split-Dalmatia (since August 20th)
- Zadar (since September 2nd)
- Dubrovnik-Neretva (since September 9th)
- Pozega-Slavonia (since September 9th)
- Cuba (since June 15)
- Kuwait (since June 15)
- Lesotho (since June 15)
- Lebanon (since June 15)
- Liberia (since June 15)
- Libya (since June 15)
- Madagascar (since June 15)
- Malawi (since June 15)
- Maldives (since July 17th)
- Mali (since June 15)
- Morocco (since June 15)
- Mauritania (since June 15)
- Mexico (since June 15)
- Mongolia (since June 15)
- Montenegro (June 15-19 and since July 17)
- Mozambique (since June 15)
- Namibia (since June 15)
- Nepal (since June 15)
- Nicaragua (since June 15)
Netherlands – the following autonomous countries are currently considered to be risk areas:
- Aruba (since August 26)
- St. Maarten (since August 26)
- Niger (since June 15)
- Nigeria (since June 15)
- North Macedonia (since June 15)
- Oman (since June 15)
- Pakistan (since June 15)
- Palestinian Territories (since July 3)
- Panama (since June 15)
- Papua New Guinea (since June 17)
- Paraguay (since June 15)
- Peru (since June 15)
- Philippines (since June 15)
- Republic of Moldova (since June 15)
Romania – the following areas ("districts") are currently considered to be risk areas:
- Arges (since August 7th)
- Bacau (since August 12)
- Bihor (since August 7th)
- Brăila (since August 12)
- Brașov (since August 12)
- București (since August 12)
- Dâmbovița (since August 12)
- Iasi (since September 9th)
- Ilfov (since August 12)
- Prahova (since August 12)
- Vâlcea (since August 20)
- Vaslui (since August 12)
- Russian Federation (since June 15)
- Saint Kitts and Nevis (since June 16)
- Saint Lucia (since June 15)
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (since June 16)
- Zambia (since June 15)
- São Tomé and Príncipe (since June 16)
- Saudi Arabia (since June 15)
Switzerland – the following cantons are considered risk areas:
- Geneva (since September 9th)
- Waadt (Vaud) (since September 9th)
- Senegal (since June 15)
- Serbia (since June 15)
- Seychelles (since July 17th)
- Sierra Leone (since June 15)
- Zimbabwe (since June 15)
- Somalia (since June 15)
- Spain – all of Spain, including the Canary Islands (since September 2nd)
- Sri Lanka (since June 15)
- South Africa (since June 15)
- Sudan (since June 15)
- South Sudan (since June 15)
- Suriname (since June 15)
- Syrian Arab Republic (since June 15)
- Tajikistan (since June 15)
- Tanzania (since June 15)
- Czech Republic – the Prague metropolitan region is a risk area (since September 9th)
- Timor Leste (East Timor) (since June 17)
- Togo (since June 15)
- Trinidad Tobago (since June 15)
- Chad (since June 15)
- Turkey (since June 15)
- Turkmenistan (since June 17)
- Ukraine (since June 15)
- USA (since July 3, entire USA)
- Uzbekistan (since June 15)
- Venezuela (since June 15)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – the following UK overseas territory is currently considered a risk area:
- Gibraltar (since August 26th)
- Central African Republic (since June 15)
Areas that were risk areas at any point in the past 14 days, but are NOT currently:
- Romania: Areas ("Counties") Neamt (August 7th – September 2nd), Gorj (August 12th – September 2nd), Galați (August 12th – September 9th), Buzău (August 7th – September 9th) ), Vrancea (August 12th – September 9th)
- Belgium: Antwerp Province (August 5th – September 2nd)
- Bulgaria: Dobritch Oblast (August 7th – September 9th)
Fall Break: Where To Go Now
And now the question arises: where to go? Because as soon as the main holiday season is over, in some federal states the autumn holidays are already approaching. Laze on the beach in the autumn sun or go hiking in the Alps: It's just four weeks until the first federal states start their vacation on October 5, with Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein.
The rest will follow by the end of October. But what is even possible on vacation? While the corona situation in Germany is relatively relaxed, some European holiday countries are arming themselves with new rules and requirements in view of the increasing number of infections. An overview of which travel destinations are in demand and what needs to be considered in the countries: