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Scene at Harbin Taiping International Airport in northeast China: flight to the EU only with a negative test
Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP
The federal cabinet has decided on stricter rules for travelers from China.
In doing so, Germany is implementing joint recommendations from the EU states, according to a government statement.
In the middle of the week, the EU countries had agreed on the recommendations in view of the development of the pandemic in China and the upcoming easing of travel restrictions there.
The decision was made using the so-called circulation procedure, without the cabinet having to meet.
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Travelers from China should have at least one negative rapid antigen test that is no more than 48 hours old before departing for Germany.
This should be controlled by the airlines.
In addition, travelers should be able to be randomly tested after landing at the request of the authorities.
Like other countries, Germany also wants to examine the wastewater from aircraft from China for possible new variants of the corona virus.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Health said on Friday that the ordinance was expected to come into force on Monday at midnight.
It should initially apply until April 7th.
"This ensures that in the event of new, particularly dangerous virus variants, entry or spread in Germany can at least be delayed," the government says.
Berlin advises against unnecessary trips to China
Due to the current corona wave in China, the federal government advises against unnecessary trips to the Asian country.
This was announced by the Federal Foreign Office's Crisis Response Center on Saturday in the short message service Twitter.
The reason given was “the peak level of Covid19 infections and the overburdened health system”.
China is easing travel restrictions – but does not expect a wave of travel
After the end of the zero-Covid policy, China reopens to foreign countries.
According to the authorities, the almost three-year isolation ends this Sunday.
But it will take months for travel to return to normal.
Even the unchanged low number of international flights from China limits the number of travelers.
Accordingly, despite the opening, no large wave of travel is expected.
Before the pandemic, ten times as many flights departed from China as there are now.
Due to the low supply, the tickets are expensive.
The authorities intend to issue or extend passports again - but primarily for business and study trips.
Conversely, China's embassies want to issue more visas again.
But here, too, primarily business, work and study visits as well as family visits are made possible.
The opening of the country follows a month after the abrupt reversal in the rigorous zero-Covid strategy implemented since 2020, which had been implemented with lockdowns, mass testing and forced quarantine.
Since then, a massive wave of infections has been rolling through China, hitting hospitals completely unprepared.
The many deaths are said to bring crematoria to the breaking point.
mgo/AFP/dpa