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Germany orders more than 300 people into quarantine after Sylt holiday

Germany is beginning to reopen after months of shutdown - and some areas are even welcoming tourists again. But if positive Covid cases are detected, it can result in hundreds having to quarantine.

Germany orders more than 300 people into quarantine after Sylt holiday
The island of Sylt in April. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Axel Heimken

A recent case on the holiday island of Sylt, Schleswig-Holstein, shows the difficulties a holiday in Germany can currently entail.

A couple, who went on vacation to the German island in the Frisian archipelago in the North Sea around May 6th, tested positive for coronavirus after they returned home.

According to contact tracing, they had visited four restaurants and other services while on the island. 

This has had direct consequences for a large number of people, including other holidaymakers, who had been in the vicinity of the couple.

READ ALSO: Northern German state leads the way as Covid cases fall nationwide

German authorities have now asked a total of more than 300 people to quarantine in connection with the case, local broadcaster NDR reported on Thursday.

For data protection reasons, it has not been revealed where the couple lives in Germany. 

As part of a project to see how tourism can work on Sylt, holidaymakers have to take a coronavirus rapid test every 48 hours and report the result to their accommodation provider. However, in this case the positive infections appears not to have been caught in that process.

On Monday Schleswig-Holstein became the first state in Germany to completely open up hotels and indoor dining. The move comes ahead of a national three-day weekend.

READ ALSO: First German state opens completely for tourism

The state has the lowest rate of coronavirus infection in the whole country, with the 7-day incidence rate currently standing at 31.4 per 100,000 inhabitants.

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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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