Anyone who comes back to Germany from their vacation in Spain and has neither recovered nor vaccinated must now be in quarantine. Meanwhile, the US is sticking to its entry restrictions for Europeans.
Berlin – Spain and the Netherlands have been classified as corona high incidence areas since midnight. This means that additional requirements apply when entering Germany from there.
With the decision on Friday, the federal government reacted to a significant increase in the number of infections in both countries. Meanwhile, the USA announced on Monday that it would not lift the entry restrictions imposed on travelers from Europe and other countries due to the corona pandemic.
Quarantine or negative test
Anyone who returns to Germany from a high-incidence area and is not fully vaccinated or recovered has to be in quarantine for ten days, but can shorten this with a negative test after five days. Shortly before the new classification of Spain and the Netherlands came into force, very few German tourists had prematurely ended their vacation on the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca, it said.
The travel industry had criticized the decision of the federal government. According to the travel association DRV, around 200,000 package travelers from Germany went on holiday to Spain last week. In addition, there are an estimated total of around 200,000 individual holidaymakers from Germany in the country.
Entry restrictions for the USA still apply
Traveling to the USA is basically still taboo for Europeans. The US government justified the decision to maintain the entry restrictions with the more contagious Delta variant. US President Joe Biden announced an imminent decision on the subject when Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) visited in mid-July. For many, this had raised hopes of easing.
Because of the more contagious Delta variant, the number of corona cases would increase – especially among the unvaccinated, emphasized the White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. The variant is now also dominant in the USA. But that does not mean that it is the right step to have more people with the Delta variant in the USA. When asked how long the restrictions would be in place, Psaki said, “Nothing is unlimited.” There is currently no schedule.
Criticism from the German economy
The EU had already called on member states last month to gradually lift restrictions on travelers from the US and several other countries. Germany then allowed entries from the USA, among others, “for all permitted purposes of residence, including tourism”.
The fact that the USA did not loosen its restrictions on travelers from Europe in return caused criticism from, among others, the German economy. Entry into the USA from the Schengen area, for example, is generally still only possible for foreigners with a special permit.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, ordered an entry freeze for foreigners from large parts of Europe in March 2020. Currently, travelers from the Schengen area, Great Britain and Ireland are not allowed to enter the USA with a few exceptions. Foreigners from India, China, Brazil, South Africa and Iran are also generally banned from entering the USA.
Trump had already ordered an end to the entry ban from Europe in January – shortly before he left office. His successor Biden rejected the relaxation in the middle of the pandemic – so Trump’s decision never came into force. At that time, the corona situation in the USA and in Europe was still dramatic.
Delta variant supplied worldwide
In the meantime, the situation has improved significantly in view of the ongoing vaccination campaigns on both sides of the Atlantic. Because of the delta variant, the number of cases is increasing again significantly in both the USA and Europe. The US is no longer making as fast progress in vaccination as hoped. A good 49 percent of the total population are fully vaccinated.
In view of the corona infection situation in Spain and Portugal, the US State Department also upgraded its travel advice for the two countries to the highest warning level on Monday. The updated travel warning of level four of four (“Do not travel”) states with regard to the two countries: “Do not travel because of Covid-19.” The US health authority CDC has a “very high level” for both countries. found in corona infections, it said. The level four warning has also applied to Great Britain since last week. dpa
