The second lockdown has been in effect in Germany from mid-December to January.
What does this mean for New Year's Eve: Can I visit friends?
Can I travel abroad?
The hard lockdown * will apply in Germany until at least January 10th.
Many people are unsure how to
spend
New Year's Eve
this year
.
Plans
to go on vacation
or celebrate with friends
over the turn of the year
have largely fallen into the water.
Here you can find out how many people you can celebrate with and whether you can travel to other federal states and countries.
Corona lockdown: how many people can I celebrate New Year's Eve with?
Over the Christmas holidays, the current contact restrictions were relaxed, allowing more than five people to celebrate together.
But exceptions for New Year's Eve have been canceled by the government.
Meetings of relatives from
two households are allowed, but no more than five people
- children under 14 years are not counted.
You also have to pay attention to the
nightly curfew
: In most federal states this applies from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
That means: Celebrating New Year's Eve together and going home after midnight is not allowed.
You either have to stay with the other household or hold out until 5 a.m. before you can go home.
Also read:
After the Corona crisis 2020: Will the big travel boom come next year?
Despite lockdown in Germany: Can I travel to another federal state?
Travel is currently not strictly prohibited.
However, due to the corona pandemic, the federal government recommends
avoiding unnecessary travel
.
This also includes private trips on New Year's Eve and the beginning of January.
Skiing holidays are also strongly discouraged, but this is difficult anyway, as
ski lifts and hotels are closed
in Germany
.
If you still want to travel over New Year's Eve, you must observe the applicable corona measures of the federal states, as these can be different, for example with regard to exit restrictions.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania there are even strict
entry requirements
: Entry for tourist purposes is not permitted.
Only those who work or have a place of residence there are allowed to enter.
Read more:
Crowds despite Corona lockdown: Austria's ski areas tighten the rules.
Corona lockdown in Germany: Can I travel abroad over New Year's Eve?
A
vacation abroad
will also be difficult in view of the uncertain
development of the corona situation and massive restrictions
in other countries.
The uncertainty leads to reluctance to travel, as travel researcher Jürgen Schmude says according to reisereporter.de: "According to a recent survey, only 30 percent plan a vacation in winter." The typical skiing vacation for many people will probably have to be canceled this year.
A
winter holiday in Austria
is practically impossible because hotels and restaurants have to remain closed here until the beginning of January.
In addition, travelers from risk areas, including Germany currently, have to
go
into
ten-day quarantine
.
What about
Switzerland
?
This is where the
ski season
basically takes place - “in strict compliance with comprehensive protection concepts”, as the state tourism website announces.
However, after your return you would have to go into quarantine in most federal states, as Switzerland is also a
corona risk
area.
There are still
long-distance trips
to escape the German winter, right?
Basically there are still some countries for which there is
currently no travel warning
.
For example, the French overseas territories of Cuba and Grenada allow German vacationers to enter the country.
Tui advertises with trips to the
Caribbean
and the
Canary Islands
- although the Canary Islands have been classified as a risk area again by the federal government since December 20.
If you go on such a trip, you have
to
go
into a ten-day quarantine after your return to Germany
.
The period of self-isolation can only be canceled by a negative PCR test, this can be carried out on the fifth day after arrival at the earliest.
Please also note that the situation on site can change spontaneously and that a quarantine obligation for German travelers may be introduced.
(mad) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
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