Germany tightens travel rules for international travelers

BERLIN

Germany on Friday moved to tighten travel rules, requiring unvaccinated travelers from the US, Turkey, and Israel to quarantine at home for five days.

The country’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute, has expanded the list of “high-risk areas” amid concerns over the rapid rise of coronavirus infections, fueled largely by the Delta variant.

Beginning Sunday, travelers from the US and Israel who are not vaccinated or recently recovered from COVID-19 will be required to quarantine following their entry into Germany.

For travelers from Turkey, a popular tourism destination for Germans, new rules for travel will go into effect Tuesday.

Those who can present a proof of vaccination or recovery will be exempted from the mandatory quarantine. They would only need to complete a digital entry registration.

Unvaccinated travelers will be required to self-isolate at home for five days, and the quarantine requirement will end if they test negative on the fifth day. Otherwise, the mandatory quarantine will continue for five more days.

Germany started to tighten travel rules last month, after a rapid increase in new coronavirus cases, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.

Last month, Spain and Netherlands were included on Germany’s list of “high-risk areas.” Currently the list has more than 60 countries, including the UK, several regions of France, Portugal, Russia, Egypt, and South Africa.

Montenegro, Vietnam, and Kenya were also added to the list on Friday, following an assessment of the epidemiological situation by the Robert Koch Institute.

This week Germany recorded its highest daily number of infections in three months, as the Delta variant’s prevalence in the country has reached 98%.

German health authorities reported 5,578 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the second day in a row in which new infections have topped the 5,000 mark.

The number of active cases climbed to 42,900, up from 39,500 on Thursday.

New cases have particularly increased among teenagers and young adults, and nearly 25% of the infections were travel-related, according to the institute.