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Germany is blocked. Therefore, since December 23, no Swiss have been allowed to cross the border to buy. But some do it anyway, as the “Basler Zeitung” reported on Monday.
In reality, everyone who enters Germany from Switzerland should be quarantined for ten days. Consequently, shopping tourism has declined significantly. However, it has not disappeared, although in reality only cross-border travelers or people who want to visit first-degree relatives can enter without quarantine.
German authorities are responsible
Unlike spring 2020, the border is not closed. A handful of Swiss still take the opportunity to go to German supermarkets or pharmacies; everything else is closed due to the hard closure.
But what punishment do the Swiss face when they go shopping in Germany? “It is up to the German authorities to monitor compliance with the regulations in force in Germany,” the Federal Customs Administration told the newspaper.
Meanwhile, the main customs office in Lörrach has announced that “no controls are being carried out with regard to infection control measures”. The customs office itself does not impose fines on purchasing violators. “We inform travelers about protection measures against infections and inform the Baden-Württemberg State Police in case of major violations.”
The police do random checks
The police, meanwhile, carry out random checks, according to Jörg Kiefer, spokesman for the Freiburg police headquarters. He did not know that large numbers of Swiss were caught buying and subsequently fined. The number of rapes is not explicitly recorded in the statistics, says Kiefer. However, it is estimated that “we should be in the very low double-digit range per week and throughout the Lörrach district.”
The quarantine obligation, which is not fulfilled when buying in Germany, is punishable by fines. The “failure to return home or accommodation” costs a fine of 150 to 3,000 euros. The police will determine the exact amount on the spot.
Regarding shopping tourists, Jörg Kiefer says: “According to this, the fine should be in the lower triple-digit range.”
