Germany: 2-week quarantine for all arrivals from abroad

BERLIN

All people arriving in Germany from abroad will be subject to a two-week self-quarantine, local media reported on Monday.

German news agency DPA reported that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “crisis cabinet” today rolled out new guidelines to fight the coronavirus, details of which will be discussed with the federal states.

From April 10 onwards, Germans, EU citizens and third-country nationals arriving in the country from abroad must stay in self-quarantine for two weeks, according to the report.

Diplomats, doctors and healthcare workers are exempt from the requirement.

Germany already imposed last month major restrictions on international travel, banned all non-essential travels to the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, repatriation flights are still taking place to fly home tens of thousands of German citizens stranded abroad.

The German government also signaled last week that it will allow nearly 80,000 foreign seasonal workers to enter the country for the harvest season.

Confirmed coronavirus cases in the country topped 100,000 on Monday with at least 1,500 deaths.

Germany currently has the fourth highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, ranking behind the U.S., Spain and Italy.

Since appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the COVID-19 virus has spread to at least 183 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows more than 1.28 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the global death toll nearing 70,500 and over 270,000 recoveries.