Update: The federal and state governments agreed to relax the quarantine requirement on May 15

Anyone who has been abroad and wants to enter Germany will be put into quarantine for 14 days, the interior ministry announced on Monday. As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the federal republic tops the 100.000 mark, the government is ramping up entry restrictions to fight the pandemic. 

Germany’s “Corona Cabinet” tightens up entry restrictions

Expected to come into effect on April 10, the new measure will force all arriving travellers into quarantine for two weeks. This was decided by Angela Merkel’s so-called “Corona Cabinet” during a meeting on Monday. The recommendation will now be passed down to the federal states, who have the final say.

It will mostly affect German citizens, EU nationals and residents - since the European Union has already banned arrivals from outside the bloc - and applies to all modes of transport. 

The measure will not, however, apply to workers in healthcare who live outside of Germany and must commute in for work. Neither will it apply to business travellers or service technicians who are only entering the country for a few days. 

Border controls in place since March 16

Since March 16, controls have been carried out - on a temporary basis - on Germany’s borders with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Denmark, in coordination with the neighbouring countries. 

In regions where there are no such border controls, the federal police are using existing search and control powers, which allow them to send would-be arrivals into quarantine or even turn them away.