Berlin – Germans, EU citizens, and foreigners who have lived in Germany for many years should in principle be quarantined for two weeks in the future when they return to the Federal Republic from abroad.
The Corona Crisis Cabinet in Berlin agreed on this recommendation to the federal states. As can be seen from the decision, the new regulation will only apply from April 10 and only to people who have been abroad for several days – and therefore not to commuters. There are also exceptions for certain groups such as truck drivers and medical personnel.
Because of the corona pandemic, people who are neither Germans nor permanently resident here have only been allowed to come to Germany since mid-March for a “valid reason””.
This affects, for example, EU citizens who travel through Germany to their home country. In principle, entries from third countries into the EU are only permitted in selected cases.
No quarantine will be ordered for commuters, business travelers and service technicians who have to enter or leave the country for a few days, the decision continues. The same applies to people who would have to transport people, goods, and goods across borders, on the road, by rail, by ship or by plane, as well as for travelers in transit on the way to the country of their permanent residence.
Anyone wishing to enter for a work stay of several weeks must be able to demonstrate that a two-week quarantine is ensured or that equivalent operational hygiene measures and precautions to avoid contact apply. This is intended to enable seasonal workers, especially in agriculture, to work in Germany.
Since March 16, border controls have been carried out temporarily on the borders with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, and Denmark in coordination with the neighboring countries. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, around 70,000 people who had no urgent reason to enter the country were turned away at these borders by April 5.
In border regions where there are no such border controls, the federal police use the existing search and control instruments, it said in the decision of the crisis cabinet. This means that people who enter from there can be sent to quarantine or pushed back if they are addressed by the police in the 30 km border area.
