The German authorities have extended COVID-19-related international travel restrictions until at least May 31, i.e. until the summer, because they believe that the current epidemiological situation remains alarming and does not allow abandoning security measures. The decision of the German authorities was reported by the portal deutschland.de. Previously, these measures expired on April 28.
“To protect against the spread of coronavirus, entry rules should remain in place for those returning from vacations and travelers heading to Germany,” the portal said in an update.
Restrictions on crossing the border with Germany
Recall that Russian tourists have access to Germany, but you can get there not directly, but with a change in other countries. Travelers from third countries, including Russia, aged 12 years and over will still be required to present or upload proof of COVID-19 vaccination/recovery or a negative result or PCR test taken no more than 48 hours prior to departure or a rapid antigen test carried out no more than 48 hours before arrival in order to be able to enter the country. This must be done during check-in or immediately before boarding. In Germany, this requirement is known as the 3G rule.
Travelers entering Germany on the basis of a coronavirus vaccine certificate must ensure that they have been vaccinated within the last 180 days with the last component or have been revaccinated, otherwise their vaccination will be considered invalid. Tourists also need to take into account that Russian vaccines are not recognized by German health care. The only vaccines accepted as valid proof of vaccination for entry are those approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and those approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). Unvaccinated people are not allowed to enter without good reason.
On the other hand, certificates of recovery are only accepted if the traveler has been infected with covid in the last 90 days before traveling to Germany. “The regulation also provides for quarantine obligations for ‘returnees’ from so-called high-risk or virus-prone areas. However, no country is currently classified as such by the federal government,” the update said.
On March 3, Germany removed all countries from its high-risk list, thus allowing everyone, without exception, to enter its territory without obligations to comply with quarantine or be tested upon arrival, regardless of the country of origin of the tourist. Since there is currently no country on the risk list, tourists do not need to fill out a digital registration form before traveling to Germany. A certificate of vaccination, recovery or test is enough.
As for internal measures, a mask regime is in place in public places in Germany. However, the authorities indicated that if the situation with coronavirus in the country and/or in the world worsens, entry restrictions will be tightened again in the coming weeks.
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