Germany Again Extends Its High-Risk List
Earlier this month, 39 world countries had been included in the German list of high-risk areas. Among the added countries were, a few EU Member States, Estonia, Sweden, Australia, Iceland, the UAE, and Rwanda.
Germany's list of COVID-19 variant areas remains empty since January 4th when the German authorities removed 8 South African countries, the UK, and Northern Ireland from the list.
Travelers coming to Germany from these countries (apart from the UK) had been not allowed to enter Germany, except for German citizens and residents.
The ban was introduced in late November when the new Omicron variant emerged and was first detected in South Africa.
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New countries added to the high-risk list
Amid the ongoing pandemic and the current COVID-19 situation worldwide, the German high-risk list was extended by the next countries, which include the following:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Albania
- Benin
- Bulgaria
- Equatorial Guinea
- Burkina Faso
- Costa Rica
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Djibouti
- Eritrea
- Latvia
- The Dominican Republic
- The Gambia
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- France - the French overseas territory of St. Pierre and Miquelon
- Colombia
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Niger
- Northern Macedonia
- The Netherlands - the overseas part of the Kingdom of St. Martin's Netherlands
- Austria - with the exception of the communities of Mittelberg and Jungholz and the Riss Valley in the community of Vomp and Eben am Achensee
- Peru
- The Central African Republic
- Lucia
- The Philippines
- Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Chad
- Serbia
- Somalia
- Senegal
- Suriname
Entry restrictions for high-risk countries
Travelers arriving in Germany from areas recognized as high-risk must meet additional travel restrictions. One of them is to register online for the Passenger Locator Form and carry its receipt for a trip to Germany. The form should be filled out within 72 hours before the planned arrival date.
All arrivals from high-risk countries aged six or older must also submit a negative test result or vaccination/recovery certificate in order to enter the Federal Republic of Germany.
Travelers who have been to risk areas must undergo a 10-day home quarantine immediately upon arrival in Germany. If the vaccination/recovery certificate is attached to the PLF application before entering the country, no quarantine is obligatory.
Those travelers who enter Germany only with a COVID-19 test can end quarantine no earlier than on the 5th isolation day after performing another test. The quarantine can be ended only after receiving the negative test result, which must be updated in the Passenger Locator Form.
Coronavirus situation in Germany
The extension of the high-risk list was caused by the widespread of the recently detected Omicron variant and its worldwide presence. Classified as a more transmissible virus variant, Omicron has led to an increase in the general COVID-19 cases number around the globe.
According to the data provided by the World Health Organization, Germany alone has confirmed over 381,000 new coronavirus cases last week. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Germany has had a total number of over 8 mln cases, of which 116,000 were fatal.
