Quarantine plans for Germans: Color Line interrupts trips from Kiel to Oslo

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"Color Magic" on the Kiel Fjord (archive)

Carsten Rehder / picture alliance / dpa

Scandinavian travelers from Germany will soon have to expect strict quarantine requirements in Norway due to the spread of corona in this country. The Norwegian shipping company Color Line is therefore interrupting regular ferry operations between Kiel and Oslo again from Friday.

The decisive factor is the recommendation of the Norwegian Health Department (FHI) to introduce a quarantine requirement for travelers from Germany, the shipping company said. It is expected that the Norwegian government will follow this recommendation in the short term. "We ask for your understanding. Infection safety is our top priority," said Color Line boss Trond Kleivdal. How long the interruption will last has not yet been determined. The shipping company is in close contact with the Norwegian and German authorities.

Ferry from Denmark should still go

It was not until mid-July that the shipping company took German passengers on board again for their trips between Oslo and Kiel after a forced break of around four months due to the corona pandemic. Since mid-June the ships "Color Fantasy" and "Color Magic" have been on the Oslo-Kiel route again, but initially only took Norwegian passengers with them.

According to the shipping company, the ships will continue to be seen regularly in Kiel in the future. They operate from Oslo exclusively as a Baltic Sea cruise without going ashore. Color Line will also maintain freight traffic between Germany and Norway and between Denmark and Norway as planned.

The ferry traffic to and from Norway, however, is served by a high-speed ferry between the Danish Hirtshals and the Norwegian ports of Kristiansand and Larvik. "In this way we ensure that all travelers have a reliable offer of travel between Norway and other countries despite the interruption of the Kiel-Oslo route," said Kleivdal.

apr / dpa-AFX