Germany removes all countries from ‘high risk’ Covid list

Germany has removed all countries from its list of ‘high risk areas’, as part of a revision of its coronavirus travel rules.

The change follows the enactment of the Third Amendment to the Coronavirus Entry Regulations and means that international travellers will no longer be subjected to additional requirements if they travel from a country with a high number of coronavirus cases.

Travellers from European Union (EU) countries will still be required to present a valid vaccination or recovery certificate, or a negative Covid-19 result upon arrival. Travellers from non-EU can only enter if they are fully vaccinated.

According to a statement by the German federal government, from now on, high risk classification will only refer to areas with a high rate of infections which is driven by Covid variants that are more virulent than the dominant but mild Omicron variant.

The statement added: “Consequently, the spread of the Omicron variant is no longer a criterion for classifying an area as high-risk.”

Previously, individuals travelling from countries deemed high risk were required to fill in a digital registration form before entering Germany, and self-isolate for 10 days following arrival or until they submitted a negative Covid test result.

According to data by travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth, Germany is a top European destination for Americans, particularly between Thanksgiving and New Year.