The autumn holidays are approaching in Germany and there is uncertainty among many citizens as to whether the adjusted travel regulations in and from risk areas, which should apply from October 1st. Precise planning is recommended, especially for working people, in order to avoid trouble with the employer.
When a country or region is considered a risk area
The assessment is carried out in a two-stage process: The upper limit of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days for a region also applies. Corona hotspots are identified in the same way in Germany.
In addition to the 50 limit, a qualitative assessment of the infection risk should also be carried out. Here, the Federal Foreign Office is to decide with its respective expertise on site whether a region or a country counts as a risk area even if the limit value is not reached. Applicable hygiene regulations and contact tracing measures should be taken into account.
The complete list of all current risk areas can be found here: For over 160 countries – Flat rate travel warning only until the end of September – whichever applies afterwards
Vacation: What are the quarantine and testing requirements?
A 14-day quarantine obligation applies to those returning from risk areas, as well as a corona test obligation. Travelers are also obliged to inform the responsible health authority about their trip and to give their registration address in the federal territory. The federal government generally advises against such trips. "We call for people to refrain from traveling to risk areas," declared Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) at the end of August.
What happens if I have a negative test result?
In this case, the regulations of the respective federal state still apply, but the quarantine can usually be ended prematurely. A new regulation is to be introduced on October 1st, according to which an early termination of the quarantine is possible at the earliest with a negative test from the 5th day after return. And that could have consequences for many citizens' vacation plans.
Do I have to take additional vacation days if I have to be in quarantine after staying in a risk area?
It gets tricky when employees have already booked their vacation in a region before it was declared a risk area, have not planned the mandatory quarantine of five days and still start their trip. Then there could be trouble with the boss.
There are hardly any problems for people who can work from the home office. If the employer agrees, the job can also be done from home. However, those who have to be present at the workplace are often obliged to submit additional vacation days for the time of the quarantine. However, if there are no more days off, individual solutions must be found with the boss, for example by working overtime on the days lost.
In principle, it is advisable to take into account the company's own travel guidelines before starting your trip – these may vary from employer to employer.
Anyone who consciously travels to a risk area is not entitled to continued wages
One thing is also certain: Anyone who consciously travels to a risk area and then has to go into quarantine or even be absent for a longer period due to a Covid disease has no right to continued payment of wages. Always provided that you cannot work from the home office.
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Anyone who embarks on an avoidable trip to an already known risk area can no longer expect loss of earnings due to quarantine to be compensated, said the Chancellor at the end of August. However, this should only apply if, for example, a country had already been declared a risk area at the start of the journey.
What is the risk of violating the test and quarantine obligation?
The Chancellor spoke of "sensitive fines" in this context. In the information sheet now published by the Federal Ministry of Health, it says, "Violations can be prosecuted as an administrative offense with a fine of up to 25,000 euros."
Spahn advises against traveling abroad
Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) has advised against traveling to risk areas. "In our direct neighboring countries, the number of infections is sometimes eight times as high as in Germany. That should give every traveler something to think about," said Spahn of the Düsseldorf "Rheinische Post" (Monday).
"Unnecessary trips to risk areas should be avoided entirely," stressed the minister. He knows that it is tough, economically for the tour operators and personally for those who have planned a long vacation. "But with Ischgl and the summer vacation, we have experienced what is now also threatening the upcoming autumn or Christmas vacation: that the number of infections is increasing due to returning travelers. And that returning families can carry infections in schools and daycare centers."