New high-risk areas: Two holiday countries added - a neighboring country deleted again

Created: 12/24/2021, 06:15 AM

From: Yasina Hipp

The popular holiday destination Portugal is now a high-risk area.

© picture alliance / dpa / TheNEWS2 via ZUMA Press Wire / Edson De Souza

The list of countries that are considered to be high-risk areas during the corona pandemic changes regularly.

Austria has now been deleted and Spain and Portugal added.

Berlin - Shortly before Christmas and the time of winter holidays, the list of high-risk areas changes again: From Saturday, the federal government will classify Spain, Portugal and the USA as such high-risk areas.

Austria, on the other hand, will be removed from the risk list, as the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced in Berlin on Thursday.

Countries and regions are classified as high-risk areas if the risk of infection is particularly high there.

In addition to the number of infections, factors such as the speed at which the virus spreads, the burden on the health system or a lack of data about the corona situation also count.

New high risk areas: Spain, Portugal and the USA

In Spain, the seven-day incidence was last at 486, the number of infections exploded again.

However, most courses in Spain are rather mild - because of the high vaccination rate of around 80 percent.

The government in Madrid is now relying on third-party vaccinations, compulsory masking outdoors and more staff in health facilities.

Barcelona, ​​on the other hand, would like to enforce night exit restrictions, the closure of nightlife and people restrictions for private meetings for Catalonia.

In Portugal, discos and bars will have to close as early as December 25th in view of the increasing numbers.

There, too, the vaccination rate is very high at around 90 percent.

The seven-Zage incidence here, however, was last at 327.

In the USA, the situation is particularly critical because of the Omikron virus variant.

In Germany's neighboring country Austria, however, the situation is steadily easing.

The seven-day incidence even fell below the value for the Federal Republic.

Skiers can look forward to easy entry to Austria and return home.

High risk areas: That means the classification

In addition to Spain, Portugal and the USA, Finland, Cyprus and Monaco have also been added to the list.

The classification as a high-risk area is automatically accompanied by a travel warning from the Federal Foreign Office.

In addition: Anyone entering Germany from such an area and not fully vaccinated or recovered must be quarantined for ten days.

After five days at the earliest, the traveler can get rid of it with a negative test.