Germany Exempts Britons and Other EU Nationals from Quarantine

Britons will not be quarantined upon entry in the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, for either air or land, as the government has decided to exempt all nationals of the European Union from the quarantine rules, including UK passport holders who after the upcoming December will cease being EU citizens.

A spokesperson of the German Interior Ministry has noted that the government will only recommend travellers go into quarantine if they arrive from countries with elevated numbers of infections in the EU.

Yet, the mandatory two-week quarantine remains effective for travellers from countries outside the EEA.

The decision has been taken by the Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer himself, though each state can set their own rules when deemed necessary.

The Primer of North Rhine-Westphalia’s Armin Laschet (CDU) believes that relaxing travel measures for the rest of the Eu is a “sign for good neighbourliness” by Germany.

“This creates legal clarity and is a great relief for people, especially in the border regions, and sends a signal to our domestic economy”, Laschet asserts, who has been n advocate of relaxed quarantine rules for weeks now insisting they would help the countries get back on their feet through the exchange of commerce and tourism.

Previously, Minister Seehofer also announced his decision to gradually start easing the measures imposed at the German borders amid the Coronavirus outbreak, in March and later on this year.

While border controls with Luxembourg were abolished on the night between Friday and Saturday last weekend, border controls with France, Austria and Switzerland, and airside borders with Italy and Spain will remain in force until June 15, 2020. The government is also ready to remove border controls with Denmark on a date that will be decided by both countries.

At the same time, Switzerland has also come to agree with Germany, Austria and France to reopen their common borders by the same date, June 15, if the epidemiological situation allows.