Risk areas in Germany: Ban on accommodation and Co. - What applies to holidaymakers from Corona hotspots

Quarantine, entry bans or negative corona tests: For a long time, different rules applied to travelers from German risk areas in the federal states.

The federal states have decided on an accommodation ban - but some differ.

• The majority of the German federal states have decided on an accommodation ban for travelers from risk areas in Germany - five federal states differ, however.

• With a view to the autumn holidays, people are asking themselves: Where can I go on vacation despite the coronavirus * if I come from a risk area in Germany?

• What are the chances of getting the money back for a vacation that has already been booked?

Update, October 14, 10:26 p.m.:

Dispute over the

: The

in Germany are increasing significantly.

Despite everything, there are different rules in the different federal states.

Chancellor

the Prime Ministers of North Rhine-Westphalia and Co. together for a high-level meeting in Berlin on Wednesday.

It was decided that the ban on accommodation in those federal states that had already implemented this ban will initially remain in place.

There will initially be no uniform concept.

Update, October 12, 4:01 p.m.:

In Germany, the

are rising

drastically again.

At the weekend, among others, Cologne *, Stuttgart and Essen * reported that the important warning level of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants was exceeded within seven days.

Cities and districts that

exceed

the

of 50 are listed as

by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI)

.

To contain the virus, some 

 already decided on restrictions for travelers from areas with particularly high

.

The headache for many vacationers is: Some federal states are already in the

vacation

, in others it will start soon.

One thing is clear: private visits are allowed, even if the travelers come from a

.

Where do which

now

for holidaymakers in Germany?

An overview of the regulations for entry from a domestic German

and for the

on

-

sorted by

in alphabetical order:

Risk areas in Germany: rules and measures in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin

Baden-Württemberg:

In Baden-Württemberg there are no entry bans or quarantine requirements for travelers from inner-German

.

Those who come from such an area may only be accommodated in pensions and hotels if they have a

is

no more than 48 hours old

.

Bavaria:

There is no entry ban.

The Bavarian Ministry of Health regularly publishes a list of the cities and districts whose residents are not allowed to

.

An exception applies to those who can present a

that is no older than 48 hours.

Berlin:

There are no restrictions on entry.

The Senate has not yet passed

ban.

Risk areas in Germany: Corona rules in Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg

Brandenburg:

Anyone who intends to drive to Brandenburg from Corona hotspots can go on excursions or go shopping.

Overnight stays are not permitted, unless a

, which must not have been more than 48 hours old prior to departure, or in the case of mandatory professional or medical trips.

Bremen:

In Bremen there is

and

on

for travelers from inner-German risk areas.

Hamburg:

There is no entry ban for people from domestic

.

Overnight guests must confirm in writing that they have not stayed in one in the previous 14 days.

If so, you can

stay overnight

with a

that cannot be older than 48 hours.

Risk areas in Germany: Ban on accommodation in Hesse and Lower Saxony - Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania stricter

Hessen:

There is no entry ban, but an

for travelers from

.

Anyone who

can prove

with a medical

that there are no indications of a corona infection can stay overnight.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania:

In addition to a current negative

, the Corona state ordinance continues to require a

immediately after entry.

The waiting time can be shortened by the responsible health department if a

also turns out negative after five to seven days.

Lower Saxony:

Entry within Germany is not restricted.

Day tourism is possible.

There are no quarantine requirements for German risk areas.

However, there is a

.

If, for example, the focus of infection is clearly limited or travelers can present a

that is

no more than two days old

, exceptions are possible.

The affected areas are listed on the Internet.

Risk areas in Germany: Corona rules in North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland

North Rhine-Westphalia:

In NRW there are

and no accommodation bans for holidaymakers from national risk areas.

In NRW itself, the corona situation is noticeably worsening.

NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet therefore wants uniform rules and restrictions for Corona hotspots *.

Rhineland-Palatinate:

Travelers from inner-German

have to go into a

.

From this Tuesday, you will be

, unless you have a

that is not older than 24 hours.

The affected regions are listed on the state government's website.

Saarland:

In Saarland, there has been a

on

for travelers from Corona risk areas

since the end of June

, unless they can present a medically certified,

that is

.

Risk areas in Germany: Measures in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony:

Entry is permitted.

Anyone who comes from a

from abroad, for example, has to be tested.

Until a negative result is obtained, there is an obligation to

at

.

Saxony-Anhalt:

Entry is permitted.

The

of people from risk areas for

is prohibited, unless the guest can present a

stating that there is no evidence of Covid 19 disease.

Risk areas in Germany: Corona rules in Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia

Schleswig-Holstein:

There are no restrictions in Schleswig-Holstein.

There is a

for commercial establishments.

However, there is the option of submitting a

that is no more than 48 hours old.

Thuringia:

There are

or a ban on accommodation for people from German risk areas.

Risk areas in Germany: Effects on vacation in the autumn vacation

Update, October 11, 9:15 a.m.:

The number of

in

again on Sunday.

According to the

(RKI),

above the important

of

.

In addition to the city of

(57.3), the

(54.2) and the city of

(51.5)

also exceeded

the important 50

threshold

.

on the other hand, fell out of the list of corona risk areas with a value of 44.0.

Exceeding the 50 mark has an impact on

,

for example

, who now have to

show

a

in several German

during the

.

In addition, above this value, the regions are obliged to

further

on public life.

Risk areas in Germany: criticism of the ban on accommodation during the autumn holidays

Update, October 10, 9:57 a.m.:

The

started

in a number of federal states

.

But

if

you come from a

, you are banned

from

in some federal states.

This affects people from North Rhine-Westphalia in particular - because there are currently numerous risk areas * in NRW - and more will probably be added due to the increasing

.

At the bans on accommodation

the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) and the Hotel and Restaurant Association Dehoga take offense.

DIHK President Eric Schweitzer criticized "uncoordinated regulations" in the case of

on

.

This is currently causing great uncertainty among companies, Schweitzer told the newspapers of the

.

After all, the companies in the

worked out safe hygiene concepts, developed digital solutions and continued to get involved under difficult conditions.

Schweitzer warned

in the

: "Especially in the hospitality industry, further failures can endanger the existence of companies."

Dehoga general manager Ingrid Hartges described it as "completely unsatisfactory that we do not have any national regulations".

and

would have countless questions and would not know what would apply in detail.

“That is why we urgently need more uniformity,” Hartges demanded in the

.

For example, it should generally be clear that

are exempt from the bans on accommodation.

Risk areas in Germany: Ban on accommodation in almost all federal states for people from hotspots

Update, October 9, 10 a.m

.: The

on tourists from

areas applies in almost all federal states.

A Lord Mayor from a

in

now found clear words about this.

“I think that's pretty stupid,” said the Lord Mayor of Hamm (North Rhine-Westphalia), Thomas Hunsteger-Petermann.

The politician considers the ban on accommodation for tourists from regions with a seven-day incidence over 50 to be “completely the wrong way” *.

Hamm leads the ungrateful ranking in NRW with a value of 70.3.

Hunsteger-Petermann speaks of "small states" and "collective punishment".

In NRW, several cities are threatened with exceeding the 50 * mark.

Update, October 7, 6:55 p.m.:

In

,

too

, more and more cities and regions are becoming

- the

are rising so strongly that they are exceeding a critical value in many places.

The fact that each

has so far decided for itself which region it

evaluates

as a

has

caused great uncertainty among holidaymakers

with a view to the

, as reported by wa.de *.

While the rules and measures recently varied between compulsory corona testing, entry ban, accommodation ban and quarantine, the federal states are now striving for uniform regulations.

On Wednesday, October 7th, the majority of the federal states passed a

on

for people from

in Germany.

Unless the travelers can present a

that is not older than 48 hours.

This was announced on Wednesday after a switching conference between the heads of state chancellery of the federal states with the head of the chancellery, Helge Braun (CDU).

Risk areas in Germany: Federal states decide to ban accommodation if the corona numbers are too high

However, this will not make the situation in

Rhine-Westphalia much easier to understand than before.

Because five federal states give different statements to the decision.

for example, announced that it

did not want to

join such a

.

pointed out that "the assessment of the health authorities of the affected areas must be the basis and yardstick for the measures of the travel destination areas".

The Ministry of Health in Erfurt explained that there are de facto

.

Also,

and

submitted observations to record the decision.

wants to check whether the decision can be supported.

insists on its own rules that go beyond this.

feel bound by the federal-state agreements of July 16.

There had

noted that "the assessment of the health authorities in the affected areas foundation and benchmark for the actions of the Destination areas must be".

Risk areas in Germany: travelers have to pay for corona tests themselves

Berlin also

demands that “when assessing the infection rate (...) Berlin is treated as a whole city and a unified community”.

That in turn should be

difficult

in

.

There, the accommodation rules should also apply to districts within Berlin, as Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) said.

This should also apply if the state of Berlin as a whole remains below the critical 50 mark.

Specifically, the districts still have to be named by the Bavarian Ministry of Health.

Risk areas in Germany: Ban on accommodation in NRW - that says the head of the state chancellery

In

are currently no bans on accommodation for holidaymakers from

.

"There is no automatism," said the head of the NRW State Chancellery, Nathanael Liminski (CDU) on Wednesday.

This instrument can be used if the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Health identifies certain regions accordingly.

For this there must be a "persistently diffuse infection process".

The state's Corona Protection Ordinance * has provided this option since July.

NRW is not against a

principle

, but has not yet applied it.

With regard to the

the resolution of the federal states states

: "The containment of the infection process and tests in the health system as well as tests to maintain the education system and internal security have priority." In this respect, such "free tests for travel purposes" could only be done if regional capacities also allow this.

In general, there is also no regulation that

pay tests for domestic trips.

This currently only applies to mandatory tests for travelers returning from

.

If you don't have any symptoms, you usually have to pay for a test out of your own pocket - unless a doctor decides otherwise.

Risk areas in Germany: Corona numbers too high - local rules are needed

The central criterion in

is still whether there are more than

inhabitants

in a region

within seven days.

On the basis of this threshold, the federal government also classifies other states as “

” for German vacationers.

In Germany, the federal and state governments have agreed that local countermeasures will be taken in “particularly affected areas” from this mark.

(NRW) was

hit particularly hard recently

.

After several days, the seven-day incidence finally fell again on Wednesday * - but is still above the critical value.

In any case, one thing is certain: When traveling on holiday within Germany, citizens from places with very high

have to be prepared

for considerable difficulties in autumn.

Remscheid (North Rhine-Westphalia) and several districts in Berlin are still among these particularly affected locations.

Risk areas in Germany: Our first report on the ban on accommodation

Update, October 7, 16:35:

The provinces have a

for holidaymakers from domestic areas with high

decided.

The ban applies

, the

in Berlin

learned

on Wednesday from groups of participants after a switching conference between the heads of the state chancelleries of the federal states with Chancellor Helge Braun (CDU).

In view of the partly different regulations, this should be about a

.

Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) announced for his country that vacationers from

without a negative

no longer be allowed to stay in Bavarian hotels and restaurants from this Thursday.

The

should therefore apply to travelers from areas with more than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days.

The exact areas have yet to be named by the Bavarian Ministry of Health.

Söder explained that this meant “a de facto test obligation for vacationers who come to Bavaria from risk areas”.

Because if

you can show

a current,

you can still stay in hotels in Bavaria.

However, travelers usually have to pay for tests out of their own pocket if they do not show any signs of illness.

Risk areas in Germany: Federal states want uniform rules - including Schleswig-Holstein and Rhineland-Palatinate

Schleswig-Holstein

in

particular has recently come

under fire

because of

for travelers from some municipalities - including

in North Rhine-Westphalia - and Berlin city districts with high

of

infections

.

The regulation in

also had a similar effect.

Both state governments were willing to compromise to arrive at a nationwide uniform framework.

From Friday, it is sufficient in Schleswig-Holstein to present a negative corona test no longer than 48 hours old on arrival at a hotel or holiday apartment - for example, to spend an autumn holiday on the North or Baltic Sea.

Family visits or commuting for professional purposes are exempt from this.

Even when traveling to

within Germany,

 no corona test is required after returning.

Risk areas in Germany: Federal states with different corona rules - the previous status

Hamm / Berlin - Whether Hamm, Remscheid or several districts in Berlin: In

,

too

, more and more regions are considered

.

So far, it has been problematic that

not named as

by the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Office like other states or their regions, but that up to now each individual

for itself which district or city this applies to.

As a rule, the criterion is that the affected districts, cities or districts have exceeded a certain threshold value of newly infected corona per week.

The so-called

the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is the benchmark for classification as a

.

Risk areas in Germany: Federal states with different corona rules

If this

exceeds 50 coronavirus cases per 100,000 population within a week, then the situation needs to be assessed.

A city or a district in

then be

classified

as a

area.

Often a day with high numbers of newly infected people is enough and a region slips over the critical limit.

As different as the corona numbers are in the various German regions and cities, the

have also

dealt

so differently

with travelers from affected

, as reported by wa.de *.

Some require

, others order a 14-day

.

Still others make exceptions in certain cases.

In some federal states there are few restrictions with regard to the corona virus.

A chaos that is

causing uncertainty

in

, especially with a view to the

.

Risk areas in Germany: In the Tönnies case, he imposed entry restrictions for the first time

Many people from the Gütersloh and Warendorf districts may still have painful memories of what happened when the wave of infections at the meat processor Tönnies * spread.

For the

first time,

several

imposed

for people from the affected circles.

In

, the number of new corona infections has recently risen sharply in many cities and regions.

As of October 5th, four districts of

, among others, meet

the usual criteria that

a

:

and

.

Risk areas in Germany: Berlin recognizes the reason for the new corona wave

The origin of the corona waves in these districts of

are illegal parties and private celebrations with alcohol consumption.

The usual

- such as keeping your distance, wearing a mask and hand disinfection - were apparently often disregarded.

The cities of

and

in North Rhine-Westphalia are also still

.

In Hamm, for example, a large Turkish wedding is considered the trigger * of a violent corona wave that has still not been over *.

The

in Lower Saxony has also

 been designated

as a

area

by the RKI 

.

In addition to

,

in

particular is heading

for the next warning level

in the number of

: With 48.5 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days, the city is just before the 4th warning level of the country's prevention and escalation concept.

As already described,

very different regulations

have so far applied in the

.

and

have so far distinguished themselves with special

.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: This is how the state deals with residents from risk areas in Germany

The state corona ordinance of

for example, states that tourists from 

 in

only allowed to enter "if a medical certificate is available which confirms that there is no evidence of an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus".

However, this certificate must not be older than

.

Nevertheless, there is an obligation to isolate yourself at home immediately for 14 days.

The

can be shortened by the responsible health department if another PCR test after 5 to 7 days also turns out negative.

Berlin as a risk area?

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania rates the city as a whole

Regardless of the high number of corona infections in individual Berlin city districts,

remains open

to all visitors from the federal capital

.

As a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health said in Schwerin on Monday, Berlin will continue to be viewed as a whole in risk assessment.

Entry restrictions or quarantine

for returnees would therefore only take effect if Berlin, as a city state, had more than 50 new coronavirus infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days.

According to the latest calculations, the average value for Berlin is below 40.

This means that

, which drew criticism in the spring for its restrictive entry bans for tourists, is taking a softer course than neighboring

.

Schleswig-Holstein: 14 days of quarantine or two negative tests within five days

Because of the high number of corona infections, the state of

the Berlin districts of Mitte, Neukölln, Tempelhof-Schöneberg and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg as 

in

.

For vacationers or travelers, this means that they have to

go

into

immediately for 14 days

or have to show

.

+

Different corona rules: Some federal states require vacationers from risk areas in Germany to pass a negative corona test.

© picture alliance / Markus Scholz / dpa

"But there is no entry ban to Schleswig-Holstein for people from risk areas," said the ministry spokesman.

Exceptions to the

are only available for members of parliament from Brussels, Berlin and Kiel as well as for representatives of the state government and their state representative in Berlin.

Schleswig-Holstein: Hamm and Remscheid designated as risk areas in Germany

In addition,

the cities of

and

(both North Rhine-Westphalia)

in

have been designated

as

 in

due to the high coronavirus numbers 

.

For vacationers or returnees on vacation, this means that they must immediately go into quarantine for 14 days or show two negative corona tests within five days.

The basis for the classification as a

is the incidence, i.e. the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days.

The

in Lower Saxony, however, is not designated as a risk area in Schleswig-Holstein.

Rhineland-Palatinate follows RKI standards when classifying risk areas in Germany

Like Schleswig-Holstein,

also regards

individual Berlin districts as a 

if the number of new corona infections exceeds 50 per 100,000 inhabitants within a week.

So far, four city districts with a combined population of more than one million have been affected.

Other federal states, on the other hand, refer to the

total number of

, which is below the limit value 50.

In

, for example, travelers from affected Berlin districts usually have to be in quarantine, but there are also

, as stated in the Ministry of Health.

The two-week autumn vacation begins

in

on October 12th.

"The same regulations apply, regardless of whether Luxembourg is currently a risk area or, for example, Wiesbaden or a Berlin district

 would be classified

as a 

according to the criteria," said the Mainz ministry.

In summary, it can be said that Rhineland-Palatinate

follows

the

in terms of

.

The traffic light state government will, however,

review

the legal situation after the Federal Cabinet's decision on the new model regulation and the

strategy

, and adjust it if necessary.

Risk areas in Germany: Rhineland-Palatinate makes these exceptions

You do not have to be in quarantine: Anyone who travels daily or for up to five days for professional or medical reasons or stays in

for a maximum of 24 hours

.

The exception also applies to people who can show a

that is no more than 48 hours old

.

Other valid

apply.

These include, in particular, social aspects such as shared custody, visiting a partner who does not live in your own household, providing support or care for people in need of protection, as well as reasons related to training or studying.

Rhineland-Palatinate people who have stayed in a risk area for less than 72 hours do not have to be in quarantine.

Risk areas in Germany: Corona rules of the other federal states

People who

 live

in a

area

in

or who

travel

from there to

or

are not allowed to stay in hotels, holiday apartments and other commercial accommodation.

Anyone

traveling

to

from a domestic corona risk area

does not have to go into quarantine in the most populous federal state.

“Cities or districts within Germany that have high incidences are categorized as 'particularly affected areas'.

This categorization primarily means no restrictions for travelers from or to these cities / regions, ”said a spokeswoman for the health ministry of the

.

In

and

are currently no special restrictions for travelers from domestic risk areas.

Where are holidaymakers from risk areas allowed to go on holiday during the autumn break?

The question of where

 in Germany

are allowed to go on holiday

during the

holidays is certainly burning under the nails of many people at the moment.

If you come from the risk areas currently identified by the RKI, you have to be prepared for different consequences depending on the federal state.

An overview:

• Schleswig-Holstein:

  People from Hamm, Remscheid and the four affected Berlin districts have to be quarantined upon entry, but not residents from Vechta.

• Rhineland-Palatinate:

  In principle, all those entering from the risk areas identified by the RKI must go into quarantine.

• Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania:

  Entrants from Hamm, Remscheid and Vechta have to be quarantined there, but not those from the four Berlin districts.

• Berlin, Bremen, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia

  : There are currently no special restrictions for people entering from domestic risk areas.

• Hesse, Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Brandenburg, Saarland:

  People from German risk areas are not allowed to stay in hotels, holiday apartments and other commercial accommodations.

  However, there are various exceptions to this rule depending on the federal state.

  It is often enough to either insure or prove that you are not infected with the coronavirus.

Risk areas in Germany: who will get their money back if their vacation breaks?

Anyone who has planned a vacation within Germany and has already booked accommodation, but is a

and has to cancel because of the coronavirus, of course rightly wonders whether they will get their

.

When asked about

the accommodation, according to the

from Hanover, the exact Corona regulation is important: If guests from risk areas are

at all

, the trip is simply not possible.

"The result is that the lease is ended," says Degott.

The money paid will be returned to the guest.

The situation is different if travel and accommodation are still possible because there is only one

rule

.

Then the guest also has to pay, if free cancellation is no longer possible, explains Degott.

Under certain circumstances, however, an

with the hotel or provider of the holiday home is possible.

Vacation in risk areas in Germany:

From a purely legal point of view, it is up to the traveler to know that he is traveling to a 

 that the traveler has to bear the corresponding costs if he does not show up.

Of course, every hotelier is free to grant a free cancellation or a credit as a gesture of goodwill.

A look beyond the national borders also shows that many other EU states - or individual regions - are considered risk areas *.

These include the Netherlands *, which is popular with holidaymakers from NRW.

Regions and a popular holiday island * are also designated as risk areas in Denmark.

The situation has meanwhile worsened again in Belgium.

When traveling to the neighboring country, vacationers need to know a lot.

- *

List of rubric lists: © Annette Riedl / dpa