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The German federal state introduces the quarantine requirement for shopping tourists. That creates a lot of chaos.
Tram number 8 runs from Basel across the border directly to the center of Weil am Rhein. Also on Wednesday morning, about two dozen people get off the tram with empty shopping bags.
And this despite the fact that there is now a quarantine requirement for travelers from Switzerland who only come to Germany to shop. This is new: Anyone who only crossed the border for a short stay was exempt from quarantine until yesterday.
“I didn’t know anything about the new rule,” says one man, “no one is standing at customs and there was no announcement on the tram that they are no longer allowed to shop across the border.”
New short-term regulation
In fact, the Baden-Württemberg state government only approved the new ordinance on Tuesday. The fact that this has gone into effect immediately, and even a day before Christmas Eve, is causing a lot of chaos in shops in the German border area.
Because many Swiss customers have reserved meat or fish for Christmas. “I ordered chinoise fondue last week,” says a passerby. He first went to customs to ask if he could collect his order. “Nobody knew about that.”
Chaos in stores
The phones have been working at the Hieber grocery store in Weil am Rhein since that morning. Every minute people called who had booked something and wanted to know if they could still pick up their order, says manager Dieter Hieber. December 23 is its busiest day of the year. “Cold stores are full of pre-ordered products. It couldn’t have been worse. “
A request to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs shows that anyone who ordered something in Germany before December 22 can still pick it up. Because the borders are not officially closed, there are no checks to see if only cross-border travelers or shopping tourists go through customs.
Packages can be picked up
This makes things easier for Swiss Paket company, which offers German delivery addresses for people from Switzerland. “Of course, our customers are happy to be able to pick up the gifts they have ordered for Christmas,” says management’s Michael Hofmann.
With the new short-term regulation, the Baden-Württemberg state government wants fewer people to cross the border. There are still no signs of such calm today.
