In the face of a second wave of Coronavirus, many nations are reevaluating how they are going to handle the virus, specifically how possible future lockdowns might look. However, the more immediate concern is to appropriately modify quarantine rules, so as to prevent the necessity of a lockdown. One country that is modifying its approach to the Coronavirus is Germany.
[post_page_title]Gesundheit[/post_page_title]
At the moment, in Germany, many states are responsible for the way that they implement quarantine restrictions. Most of the rules follow the overarching guidelines and suggestions by the medical experts, but there are small changes from state to state. Currently, the process looks something like this. Travelers entering the country must immediately proceed to their destination. If that destination is abroad, they quickly transfer to the next flight or train and leave Germany. If the destination is within the country, they head to the location and self-isolate until they can be tested.
Once a negative test result is received, that proof must be provided to German health officials and a follow up email or call would be beneficial as well. The only way to avoid this process is to prove beforehand that you don’t have Coronavirus. However, a second test should occur a few days after arriving for further proof. This proof can only come in the form of official documentation from a health official.
[post_page_title]Stricter measures[/post_page_title]
As of November 8th, however, German states should be following new guidelines for what quarantine needs to look like in the coming months. One thing that is a part of that is a mandatory 10 day self-isolation. No amount of proof pre-travel will allow travelers to skip that 10 days. If the traveler is an essential worker, they may be let out of quarantine early, but no earlier than after 5 days.
In addition, some of the cities or states may have longer quarantine times or additional conditions before travelers can be released. Berlin, for example, has a mandatory two week quarantine, an extra few days compared to the ten day minimum. In all things, this means additional caution and planning should be undertaken by those traveling around Germany. If a trip can be postponed until quarantine measures are lessened or are gone entirely, that would be ideal. After all, a trip to see family or friends is no fun if you’re stuck in a hotel.
