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Germany will declare Dublin a Covid-19 risk area today, requiring anyone arriving from the Irish capital to undergo a free Covid-19 test.
Berlin defines a risk area as any place with a new infection rate higher than 50 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days.
As of Thursday, all Dublin arrivals to Germany must take a test on arrival or within 10 days. They must self-isolate until they receive a negative test result. Anyone who can produce a negative test result from the Irish authorities (no more than 48 hours) is exempt from further testing and isolation, but is encouraged to take a second test upon arrival in Germany.
A positive test result requires up to 10 days of quarantine, and local health authorities carry out random checks based on the details in the contact form. Fines vary in each of Germany’s 16 federal states for violating quarantine provisions. Berlin imposes fines of up to 3,000 euros, while Bavaria, with one of the highest infection rates in Germany, can impose a fine or imprisonment of up to two years.
The tests are available free of charge at all German airports with flights to and from Ireland.
Wednesday’s decision was made after a consultation between the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s disease control body, and the foreign and home affairs ministries.
German officials said Dublin had been a cause for concern for some time, due to rising infection rates. They held off declaring it a risk zone last week, along with Vienna and Amsterdam, to see if the numbers fell. Also on Wednesday, the entire Czech Republic, neighboring Germany, is expected to be declared a risk zone.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, who was in Berlin from Saturday to Monday, is restricting his movements after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.
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