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In Hannover, this affected 63 passengers on a flight from London in the evening. Preparations have been made for emergency overnight stays at the airport. A spokesman for the federal police said one woman wanted to fly back to London, everyone else had to undergo a PCR test. A spokeswoman for the Hannover region said they would have to remain at the airport premises until the test results were available. She hopes the results will be available on Monday, but that is not certain.
According to information from the Hannover airport, camp beds were set up in Terminal D and passengers are also fed there. “Our aim is to prevent the new type of virus from going unnoticed in Lower Saxony,” said Andreas Kranz, head of the public health department in the Hannover region. The travelers showed “a fair understanding of the measures,” he said.
If the test result is negative, this means a ten-day quarantine at the destination for the affected passengers; After five days and another negative test result, the quarantine may end prematurely. If an infection is confirmed and it is not clear whether it is the new variant of the virus, those affected go to a special quarantine hotel, as Kranz said.
Reference to the quarantine regulations in Stuttgart
In Stuttgart, air travelers from London who landed at night were taken in small groups to the airport’s corona test center and tested there, a spokesperson said. Then, if the result was negative, they could have collected their luggage and returned home, but they would have to quarantine there. It is unknown how many passengers there were.
Stuttgart federal police generally announced that those who landed on Sunday would be offered a corona test and would be informed of known federal state quarantine regulations. “We know the resulting inconvenience for travelers, especially now during the Christmas traffic,” he said. “All partners are working hard to ensure a safe entrance, but at the same time not to overstress the passengers.”
The Berlin correspondent for the English weekly “The Economist”, Tom Nuttall, had apparently also landed aboard a British plane in Berlin and reported something similar on Twitter. The police had told the passengers they were being tested: anyone who tested negative would not be returned.
The variant should be 70 percent more contagious
According to initial findings by British scientists, the recently discovered corona variant in south-east England is up to 70 percent more contagious than the previously known form. Therefore, the Federal Home Office on Sunday ordered the Federal Police to systematically screen travelers from Great Britain and South Africa with immediate effect. A ministry spokesperson in Berlin announced that this applies to correct registration on the digital registration form. The necessary measures to protect against infections should be closely coordinated with the responsible local health authorities. Travelers would have to be prepared for longer wait times at the borders.
Just a little later, Germany completely banned flights from Britain to Germany starting at midnight on Monday. The Federal Ministry of Transport issued the corresponding order. The exceptions are pure cargo flights, flights with medical personnel or only with crews on board who want to return to Germany. This serves to protect the population in Germany and “limit the entry and rapid spread of new variants of the virus,” he said. The ban will initially apply until December 31.
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) announced an additional ordinance for Monday that restricts all travel to Britain and also South Africa, which is also affected by the variant of the virus.
