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Curfews, testing for all air travel: the key changes in Germany’s new Covid rules

At the lockdown summit on Monday several tougher new restrictions were agreed upon as German leaders try to break the third wave of the pandemic.

Curfews, testing for all air travel: the key changes in Germany's new Covid rules
Photo: dpa | Julian Stratenschulte

The take away news from the lockdown summit, which continued well into Tuesday morning, was a tough lockdown through the entire Easter break.

Billed as Germany’s strictest lockdown yet, it will entail the closure of all shops including supermarkets (except on Saturday April 3rd.) Furthermore, the people of Germany are being asked to stay at home and a ‘gathering ban’ will apply for public spaces.

For full details of the Easter shutdown, read our article HERE.

Here are the other key points.

The lockdown rules agreed upon on March 3rd will be extended until April 18th. The next meeting between the Chancellor and federal leaders will happen on April 12th.

Emergency brake tightened

Since March 3rd districts should have been applying an “emergency brake” – a return to the February lockdown rules – when cases rise above a 7-day incidence of 100. Due to the fact that several districts ignored this rule, the new agreements emphasizes that this clause needs to be enforced “consequently.”

Districts have been given new weapons to try and bring outbreaks under control, should cases rise above a 7-day incidence of 100.

SEE ALSO: Almost two-thirds of Germans ‘unsatisfied’ with government’s Covid-19 management

Most prominently, they can now impose night time curfews. The start and end times for curfews are to be set individually by each state.

They can also order people to wear medical masks when seated in a car with someone from another household. The text also states that “greater testing should be made necessary in places where it is hard to socially distance or wear masks.” What exactly this measures means is not clear. The text of the agreement does not go into further detail. But it is now up to the state governments to flesh out these rules for their states.

General contact rules

There has been no change made to contact rules for districts with 7-day incidence below 100. This means that up to five adults from two households are still allowed to meet. 

Above an incidence of 100, the contact rules from January and February apply again. That means that a household can only meet one further person from outside the household, including children. These rules apply both indoors and outside.

SEE ALSO: What you need to know about Germany’s ‘hard lockdown’ measures over Easter

Generally, the text appeals to Germans to “reduce all contacts to the bare minimum and avoid meeting people inside in particular.”

At the same time, in districts with an incidence below 35, three households of up to ten people are allowed to meet. Plus children are allowed to come along.

Antigen testing

The text states that after Easter, comprehensive testing will play “and even greater role” and asserts that supply chains for antigen tests for the months of March and April have now been secured for all federal states. This should ensure that “all citizens” receive enough tests.

The agreement promises “blanket testing” in all schools and nurseries so that teachers and pupils can be given two tests a week “as quickly as possible.”

The purpose of the testing at schools is both to help keep education facilities open and to break chains of infection in the general public, the agreement states.

Freedom for the vaccinated

The Robert Koch Institute is to present a report to the government before the next meeting (April 12th) in which it assesses whether people who’ve been vaccinated still need to be tested before entering businesses, museums etc.

Travel – tests for all air travellers

The biggest news on travel: the government wants a change to the infection protection law to ensure that everyone who flies to Germany has to present a negative test result upon arrival, regardless of where they are flying from.

As has been the case in previous agreements, the March 22nd text makes an “urgent appeal” to people not to travel unless absolutely necessary, both at home and abroad.

New is that clause that the government “expects” that airlines will test every passenger and all crew on return from holiday destinations due to likelihood that variants are spreading there. This clause was written in due to the fact that budget airlines have started offering holidays on Mallorca in recent days.

The text states that airlines “should not increase their flight offerings during the Easter holidays.”

READ MORE: Germany to enter strict Easter lockdown to fight ‘new pandemic’

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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?

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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