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Status: 25.03.2021 5:15 pm
If you want to fly to Germany, you must submit a negative Corona test from the Sunday before departure abroad. According to media reports, this provides for a draft ordinance from the Ministry of Health.
For all travelers who want to travel to Germany by plane, a corona test must be applied from Sunday. Those affected would have to “present proof to the carrier before going abroad,” according to the draft corresponding regulation of the federal Minister of Health, Jens Spahn, cited by various media.
Originally, the regulation was supposed to go into effect on Friday. In order for travelers and airlines to adapt to this, reports say that the test is not supposed to be applied until March 28 at 00:00. Subject to cabinet approval, the new entry regulations should be published this Friday.
Easter trips to Mallorca were also affected
“People who cannot present a corresponding proof certificate to their carrier before departure cannot be transported,” says the draft, which is still being coordinated by the ministries. There is an exception for aircraft crews. And further: “Pre-departure testing reduces the likelihood that infected people will travel and infect others during the flight or cause an additional influx of SARS-CoV-2 infections into Germany.” Regulation will be limited to May 12, 2021.
According to the plans of the Ministry of Health, the test must be carried out at least 48 hours before entering Germany. Travelers must bear the costs themselves. Those who are positive must be quarantined in the country of travel in accordance with the regulations applicable there.
This would mean that the government would deviate from the previous regulation that only a test is required for returnees from corona risk areas. Travelers to Mallorca at Easter would also be affected by the innovation. The island had been removed from the list of risk areas due to the decline in the number of infections and tens of thousands had booked vacations there.
Many criticisms of the possible ban on foreign travel
In addition, the government is examining the possibility of temporarily preventing travel to popular holiday areas abroad. However, the headwind is great. In the Bundestag, not only the leader of the FDP, Christian Lindner, said that he did not believe in such plans. Coalition partner SPD also strongly rejects such a project. This is not compatible with basic rights, emphasized the managing director of parliament Carsten Schneider.
It is true that the Infection Protection Act under Article 28a states that the protection measures against Covid-19 also include the “travel ban or restriction; this applies in particular to tourist travel.” However, the constitutional obstacles are high for such a serious invasion, which is also recognized by the Union. CSU chief Markus Söder said: “If a travel ban is legally enforceable, now I have my doubts, if I can say so.” Tourism associations also warned against implementing such regulation.
Great Britain travel ban now in effect
Proponents of the idea point to Britain, where despite high vaccination rates, a ban on travel abroad has long been a reality. Currently, you are only allowed to leave the country if you have a valid reason to do so: if you travel abroad without permission before the end of June, you must pay a fine of 5,000 pounds. Currently, the English are not even supposed to move out of their own residential area, only in April should domestic travel be allowed again under certain conditions.
