Only recently did the RKI set the validity of the recovered status to three months. The EU has now agreed on six months. What applies to Germany?
Berlin – Anyone who has survived a coronavirus* disease is considered to have recovered. But how long? Until a week ago it was said in Germany that the recovered status is valid for 180 days. Quite surprisingly, however, the RKI shortened the duration to 90 days – i.e. only three instead of six months. And now the EU wants to go back to 180 days? The chaos seems perfect.
EU agrees on convalescent status: Is it valid for six months instead of three?
“A convalescent certificate should be valid for 180 days,” the EU countries announced on Tuesday (January 25). They had previously voted on EU-wide regulations. According to the new resolutions, those who have recovered should be able to travel through Europe for six months without an additional test. Foreign Minister Baerbock’s Minister of State Anna Lührmann also voted in favor of the six-month rule. So does Germany have to change its new regulations again?
First of all, it must be noted that the decision of the EU states is not a binding regulation, but a recommendation. “The least we can all expect is that the member states also implement this recommendation,” emphasized a spokesman for the EU Commission. In an interview with Business Insider, however, the German MEP Jan-Christoph Oetjen (FDP) demanded: “There must be no more going it alone. The agreement on a 180-day validity for a recovery certificate must also be guaranteed by the states that have been promoting a shorter validity period in recent weeks, this also applies to Germany.” It is therefore still unclear what will happen in Germany after the recent change in the RKI* will apply. According to the EU states, a vaccination certificate* should be valid for new months.
At the request of Merkur.de* , the Federal Ministry of the Interior referred to the Ministry of Health. There is still no clarification as to whether the rule will be changed again in Germany.
The change in status in Germany had recently caused a stir. Even on the Corona MPK, Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach, who reports to the RKI, was sometimes violently attacked * because he had apparently made the adjustment without prior agreement.
EU decisions: More freedom to travel in European countries
The new EU regulations aim, among other things, at more freedom of travel within Europe. Since the omicron* wave is now predominant in the EU, “travellers who are in possession of a valid digital corona certificate from the EU should not be subject to any additional restrictions on the freedom to travel,” said a statement from the 27 member states. Italy, for example, is currently demanding an additional, negative test when entering the country with basic immunization.
Tests, especially PCR tests, are currently in short supply in Germany. Austria, on the other hand, seems to be in a better position*. (chd/dpa/AFP) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubrics: © Wolfgang Maria Weber/Imago
