Easter vacation despite Corona: Germany tightened - new rule for travelers returning from abroad is coming

Mallorca vacation at Easter - some Germans had already hoped for that.

The federal government is now restricting trips abroad due to the current corona situation.

• Chancellor Angela Merkel * (CDU) apparently wants to make vacation travel more difficult because of the Corona situation.

• SPD * health expert Karl Lauterbach warns of an aggressive virus variant * on Mallorca.

• From this Friday (March 26th) a first new regulation for returnees will come into force

  (update from March 25th, 11:33 am)

  .

Update from March 25th, 12:56 p.m

.: The new regulation for

travelers returning

to Germany should initially apply until May 12th.

The

dpa

reports

.

"Testing before departure reduces the likelihood that infected people will travel and infect others during the flight or cause an additional entry of Sars-CoV-2 infections to Germany," the news agency quoted from a draft

(see previous update )

.

Testing supplements already established precautionary measures such as wearing a mask, keeping your distance and hygiene measures - these must continue to be observed.

Corona test compulsory when entering Germany regardless of risk areas

Update from March 25th, 12.09 p.m

.: The

dpa

reports new details about the planned test obligation for travelers returning to Germany.

"It should apply regardless of whether the transport takes place from a risk area," says a letter from the Federal Ministry of Health under Jens Spahn (CDU) to the Chancellery and the other departments.

So far, compulsory testing has only been provided for people who have stayed in an area in the ten days prior to their entry where the number of corona infections is particularly high or where mutations are widespread.

"People who cannot present a corresponding test certificate to their carrier before departure may not be transported," says the text.

The federal and state governments had therefore decided on the innovation on Tuesday night.

Corona test compulsory for flight travelers returning from March 26th - Draft by the Spahn Ministry

Update from March 25, 11:33 a.m

.: The planned test obligation for all flight returnees to Germany

(see first report)

should come into effect this Friday.

The

AFP

news

agency

and the

Bild

newspaper

report unanimously

.

The travelers would have to pay the costs for the corona test themselves.

The test center in Palma's airport is ready for use, reports

bild.de

, citing the airport company Aena.

Those who tested positive would first have to stay on the Balearic Island, the report said.

Hotel accommodation during the quarantine will only be taken over for package travelers, the portal claims to have learned.

+

Anyone returning to Germany from Palma de Mallorca in the near future must have a negative corona test.

© Moritz Frankenberg / dpa

After the rush of bookings on Mallorca travel: Merkel wants to restrict vacation abroad

Update from March 24th, 7:01 p.m.:

A possible holiday

ban

during the Easter holidays is rejected by the SPD.

"There will be no general ban on trips to popular holiday areas abroad with the SPD parliamentary group," announced Social Democrat Carsten Schneider to the

German press agency

.

"Generally banning trips abroad goes beyond sensible protective measures, is disproportionate and contributes to further uncertainty among the population," said the parliamentary manager of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag.

Government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer had previously confirmed the examination of the corresponding plans.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is also said to

have expressed her lack of understanding about the numerous Mallorca vacationers

, according to the

picture

.

"It cannot be that you shouldn't be 15 kilometers away from home, but are allowed to fly 1500 km," Merkel was quoted as saying.

+

A waiter in Mallorca served tourists breakfast in March 2021 in a café that reopened despite Corona.

© Clara Margais / dpa

After the rush of bookings on Mallorca travel: Merkel wants to restrict vacation abroad

First report from March 24th, 4:55 p.m.:

Berlin - Is the Easter holiday on Mallorca tipping over?

The federal government is checking whether trips to popular holiday areas can be temporarily prevented due to Corona.

"This is now being checked by the responsible departments," said the deputy government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer on Wednesday in Berlin.

But there are "major constitutional hurdles," she added restrictively.

As of March 12, the federal government no longer classified Mallorca as a risk area because the 7-day incidence there had dropped to below 50 - which triggered a booking boom for the Balearic island, which is popular with German holidaymakers.

At the Prime Minister's Conference (MPK) with Angela Merkel (CDU) on Monday, however, it was decided that in future a test requirement should be introduced for all flight passengers arriving in Germany.

The test order now goes beyond that.

A spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office said, however, that a worldwide travel warning like at the beginning of the corona pandemic has not yet been planned.

Merkel wants to tip Mallorca vacation for the time being - Lauterbach warns of Corona mutation

"It cannot be that you shouldn't be 15 kilometers away from home, but are allowed to fly 1500 km," Merkel is said to have said on the subject, as the

Bild

newspaper claims to have learned.

"The Brazilian mutant P1 * is the greatest danger so far," warns SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach.

“Unfortunately, she is also in Mallorca,” he tweeted on the day of the Monday MPK.

"It combines more contagion, mortality and partial resistance to vaccinations," he explained.

Criticism of the lifting of the travel warning: "Mallorca will go down in history as a virus incubator"

The lifting of the travel warning for Mallorca met with criticism in German politics.

For example with Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU).

"The signal and the decision is difficult," he said on Wednesday in the Bavarian state parliament.

The minimum after a trip must now be that returnees can show a negative corona test.

"I would prefer we could come up with a few other measures," added Söder.

"It is not a good thing that such vacation trips are taking place in this situation," said Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Wednesday in Berlin.

With regard to restrictions in Germany *, he said that it was not right that "some" then travel elsewhere in the world.

"This is one of the worst mistakes that have been made in the last few weeks," said Brandenburg's Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) in an interview with

BB-Radio

on Wednesday

.

The people in the country could not understand why vacation in Germany is not possible, but 40,000 vacationers could fly to Mallorca.

"Without such air travel, the virus would not have reached Europe so quickly at all," he continued. "Mallorca will go down in history as a virus incubator."

Corona tests for Mallorca returnees?

Transport Minister Scheuer talks to the aviation industry

Airlines had promised to test travelers on Mallorca over Easter before returning.

Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) wants to discuss this with representatives of the aviation industry on Thursday, reports the

dpa

, citing government circles.

The discussions in the afternoon should focus on the specific design of the tests.

The Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry had previously announced that many organizational and logistical details were still unclear.

(dpa / AFP / frs) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

List of rubric lists: © Moritz Frankenberg / dpa