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Germany mulls compulsory coronavirus tests for returning travellers

Germany may introduce compulsory coronavirus testing for holidaymakers returning from high-risk destinations, the health minister said.

Published: 26 July 2020 15:19 CEST
Germany mulls compulsory coronavirus tests for returning travellers
A picture taken on June 30, 2020 at the airport in Frankfurt am Main shows a sign indicating the way to a walk-in testing centre. AFP

As the number of new infections in the country hit a two-month high the German government is under pressure to take precautions.

Health Minister Jens Spahn told Deutschlandfunk radio the government were looking into whether they could legally oblige someone to take a test.

“We are also checking whether it is legally possible to oblige someone to do a test, because it would be an encroachment on freedom,” Spahn said, according to Reuters.

The minister said the courts were examining all coronavirus measures to ensure they are proportionate in light of their impact on people's rights.

On Friday, Germany announced it would offer free coronavirus tests to all returning travellers, as concerns grow over a surge due to summer travel.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about travelling from Germany to other European countries

“Those returning from risk countries should be tested, and those returning from non-risk countries will also have the option,” said Berlin health minister Dilek Kalayci after the measures were agreed by the health ministers of Germany's 16 states.

She said the tests would initially be non-mandatory and the cost would be covered by the state in all cases.

If a holidaymaker arriving home from a high-risk country including the US, Brazil and India, tests negative they will not have to observe a 14-day quarantine, which is otherwise mandatory.

Those who refuse a test or test positive on arrival will be forced to quarantine at home for 14 days.

The number of new confirmed cases increased sharply on Friday to 815, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.

That represented the biggest tally since mid-May. On Saturday there were 781 reported new cases. 

 

Member comments

  1. Testing is wonderful. Thank you to those for making it possible.

    And let’s also be realistic…
    We all need to get back to work in Germany and not go on holiday abroad where we can catch corona and bring it back. The focus has to be on everyone working again, contributing to the economy and not relying on government handouts.

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HEALTH

Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

It’s back again: amid sinking temperatures, the incidence of Covid-19 has been slowly rising in Germany. But is this enough to merit worrying about the virus?

Published: 20 September 2023 12:05 CEST
Updated: 20 September 2023 22:22 CEST
Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI,  the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent. 

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI. 

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI. 

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests. 

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well. 

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

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