According to Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), the federal government is planning an extended mandatory test for entry into Germany from August 1st. “The federal government promised us today that it will do so by August 1st. try everything with a uniform test obligation not only for air travel but also, for example, for everything that comes on a normal car route or train route, ”said Söder on Tuesday evening in the ARD“ Tagesthemen ”.
He thinks that is now more understandable, clearer and safer. The originally planned date for an entry regulation from September 11th would have been “a joke”, said Söder, “the vacation is over even in the countries with late vacation.”
The countries had put pressure on because they needed a reliable basis for entry, said Söder in the evening. In the afternoon he was informed that a legal basis would be created so that implementation would work on August 1st. “The rule is relatively simple, everyone needs a test who arrives back, so to speak, whether he comes by car, train or plane.”
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Currently, the test only applies to people who travel to Germany by plane. Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU) had told the “Bild” newspaper (Wednesday) that people who have been vaccinated or recovered do not have to prove a negative test result. Seehofer and Söder said that the checks in individual traffic should be carried out on a point-by-point basis. No one wants stationary border controls and no one does, said Söder.
On Tuesday, the Federal Ministry of Health said that the federal government was currently agreeing on a proposed new regulation.
A general test obligation upon entry already exists for all flight passengers. Proof of a negative result must be made in the holiday country and presented before the start – or proof of a convalescent or fully vaccinated person.
According to Spahn and Seehofer’s ideas, a test should in principle be required in the future – regardless of where and with which means of transport you are coming. Anyone who is neither vaccinated nor had an infection would also have to take a test if he or she comes from Poland by car. According to reports, stationary border controls are not part of the concept.
Spahn had already made it clear last week that an expansion of the test requirement should come very quickly. Criticism comes from the opposition.
Such a comprehensive expansion of the obligation to test is neither helpful in fighting the pandemic nor proportionate, said FDP health expert Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus. The compulsory test should focus on travelers from high-risk and virus variant areas and should also be checked. The federal government must also advocate a European regulation instead of unilaterally pushing for tightening.
Compulsory test “very useful from a medical perspective”
Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP) also criticized the Health Minister’s plan. “If vaccinated and convalescent people are now to take a mandatory test upon entry, the entire argumentation of the federal government gets into a tailspin,” he told Tagesspiegel.
As a result, restaurant visits would only have to be made possible with tests despite vaccination in order to ward off the risk of infection. “It’s the old sorrow: the federal government is not acting stringently and reliably, but confused,” said the FDP politician.
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” on the other hand: “A general compulsory test when entering Germany for anyone who is neither fully vaccinated nor recovered is very useful from a medical point of view.”
When traveling on holiday, there is a higher risk of getting infected because of the larger number of contacts – initially regardless of the travel location and the means of transport used.
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On this Wednesday, a new entry regulation decided by the cabinet comes into force. Since there was no agreement on the regulation planned by Spahn and Seehofer, the existing regulations will essentially be extended until September 10th. There is a relief for those arriving from virus variant areas in which new, worrying forms of virus are circulating.
Quarantine can be ended prematurely
So far, those who have recovered and who have been vaccinated who come back from there have to be in quarantine for 14 days. In future, this can generally be ended prematurely if the region is no longer classified as a virus variant area during the quarantine period.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) publishes on its website which regions the federal government declares to be high-risk, high-incidence or virus variant areas with special requirements for tests and quarantine. Since Tuesday, Spain and the Netherlands have been high incidence areas with a particularly high number of new infections.
Anyone who returns from such an area and is not fully vaccinated or recovered has to be in quarantine for ten days, but can shorten this with a negative test after five days.
The German Travel Association (DRV) and the Federal Association of the German Air Transport Industry (BDL) appealed to citizens to accept offers for corona vaccinations with a view to vacation. “For vaccinated people, travel planning is more reliable and traveling is easier.” Some countries reserved certain local activities exclusively for vaccinated people. “With the vaccination protection you prevent such surprises on vacation.” (Tsp/dpa)
