On Thursday, March 3rd, 2022, Germany will delete its list of ‘High Risk Areas’ because the Omicron variant hardly causes COVID-19 cases with severe disease progressions. Entering Germany will be easier now.
Berlin, March 2nd, 2022. Update: March 4th, 2022 (The Berlin Spectator) — As soon as tomorrow, Germany’s list of ‘High Risk Areas’ will be dumped, at least for now. Right now, 62 countries with high Corona infection numbers are on the list. This will change at midnight tonight.
Higher Virulence
“With the widespread occurrence of the Omicron variant, the probability of this variant to have a severe course is shown to be less compared to the previous prevalent variants”, a statement by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) read. “Therefore, as of Thursday, March 3, 2022 at 0:00 a.m., no states/regions will be considered as high-risk areas with the ‘Third Amendment to the Coronavirus Entry Regulation’ coming into force”, the RKI said.
“The Designation as a high-risk area will only be made for those areas where there is a high incidence in terms of the spread of variants with higher virulence, compared to the Omicron variant. Thus, countries/areas will no longer be classified as high-risk areas based on the spread of the Omicron variant.
The classification of risk areas can still change at short notice.” The RKI added a recommendation for travelers: “Please check immediately before departure whether the countries in which you have stayed in the last 10 days before entering Germany are classified as risk areas.”
Less Complicated
The statement was confusing a little because countries in which new and more dangerous Coronavirus mutations were identified had their own list of ‘Virus Variant Areas’. Fortunately, this list has been empty for a while.
The changes announced by the RKI makes entering Germany less complicated. Until midnight, persons who come in from a ‘High Risk Area’, or who have recently been to one, have to register online in advance and provide a vaccination certificate, proof of recovery or a new and negative Corona test at the border. Individuals who do not have either need to go into quarantine for 10 days. This period can be shortened after a minimum of 5 days with a negative test. Most of this will not apply anymore because, at least for now, there will not be any ‘High Risk Areas’. But all persons from 12 years of age who enter Germany, no matter from what country, do still need a vaccination certificate, proof of recovery or a negative Corona test result.
Bad News
In combination with the lifting of most Corona restrictions until March 20th, 2022, the changes for travelers will contribute to a new freedom many people will feel. The bad news is that the restrictions and strict regulations at the border or in Germany could return at any moment, when and if the next Coronavirus variant hits.
Looking for the daily Corona update for Germany? Find it here.
ALL CORONA CHRONOLOGIES:
Corona Chronology for Germany, 2022
Corona Chronology for Germany, 2021
Corona Chronology for Germany, 2020
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[…] empties its list of ‘High Risk Regions’. Starting today, entering Germany is easier. Because the ongoing Omicron wave causes far less […]