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Greece, Corsica and Crete removed from Germany’s high-risk list

Germany's Robert Koch Institute is set to scrub popular holiday destinations of Greece, Corsica and Crete from its high-risk list on Sunday, as most regions of France also become 'risk free'.

Published: 10 September 2021 17:22 CEST

Greece, Corsica and Crete removed from Germany's high-risk list

The island of Crete is set to be removed from Germany's high-risk list, paving the way for easier travel. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/XinHua | Lefteris Partsalis

In France, only the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region and some overseas territories will remain on the list from next week, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

On Sunday at midnight, a large part of South America will also become ‘risk-free’ once more as Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador and Peru are removed from the list.

In addition, Oman and Namibia will be taken off the list.

The move will make it much easer for unvaccinated travellers to return from these regions to Germany, since people who are not vaccinated or recovered generally have to quarantine for 10 days on their return to the Bundesrepublik.

READ ALSO: Germany declares Greece and the Netherlands Covid ‘risk’ zones

This can be shortened to five days with a negative test.

However, keep in mind that there are still restrictions on which travellers can enter Germany from non-EU countries. The general requirement is that people need to be fully vaccinated against Covid with a vaccine approved in the EU.

READ ALSO: Can unvaccinated children travel to Germany?

Norway added to ‘high risk’ list

While the Mediterranean islands are getting the ‘risk free’ treatment, there’s worse news for visitors to Scandinavia as the the Norwegian provinces of Oslo and Viken are set to be upgraded to RKI’s high-risk list from Sunday.

Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nicaragua and Grenada are also set to be reclassified as high risk.

Since the start of August, Germany’s public health authority has veered away from classifying countries solely on the basis of infection rates. It now considers other factors such as speed of the spread of the virus, the burden on the health system and the access to data on the Covid health situation.

People entering Germany from countries on the high risk list have to fill out the Einreiseanmeldung online form.

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EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a soft launch of the new EU border system – the entry/exit (EES) system – on the assumption that it will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however.

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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