National Corona Regulations

• General Corona Guidelines and Restrictions - Reopening
• Eased Restrictions for Vaccinated or Recovered Persons
• Federal Emergency Brake
• Covid-19 testing
• Useful further information

General Corona Guidelines and Restrictions - Reopening

The nationwide lockdown and restriction measures during the last months have shown results. With infections rates steadily falling, all federal states have relaxed their coronavirus restrictions. These include, for instance, the reopening of cafes and restaurants for outdoor service. Additionally, shops, indoor gastronomy and tourist accommodation services are being resumed. The requirement of a negative Covid-19 test for those guests who are not fully vaccinated or recovered from the virus is set at the federal state level.

Social distancing and the wearing of a medical mask in shops and public transport remain the most important measures in place to control the number of infections. 

Business travel is permitted and Germany's borders are open.

Eased Restrictions for Vaccinated or Recovered Persons

The German parliament has approved a COVID-19 Protective Measures Exemption Ordinance that introduces eased restrictions for fully vaccinated or recovered persons.

From May, 9 2021, current contact restrictions and curfews will no longer apply to this group. Furthermore, these persons will not be required to comply with quarantine obligations for instance after travel - unless they are returning from a designated area of variant of concern.

Vaccinated and recovered persons will also be treated on the same basis as individuals who have provided a negative test for certain exceptions to the current protection measures. This means, for example, that they do not have to present a current negative test result in order to go to the hairdresser.

The obligation to wear a medical mask and maintain distance remains in place for everyone. For details about the lifting of restrictions, please refer to the dedicated website of the Federal Government.

Federal Emergency Brake

Alongside the progress in vaccination rollout, the "federal emergency brake" has contributed to Geramany's way out of the coronavirus crisis. The measures stipulated in the amended Infection Protection Act (IPA) are set to expire as of June 30, 2021.

The federal emergency brake measures have been in force since April 23, 2021. Up to this date,  the individual federal states had primarily been responsible for determining the type and range of measures to be taken to contain the pandemic - generally on the basis of a joint decision following consultations between the federal states and the German federal government.

Under the amendment, the federal measures continue to apply up to a 7-day incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants. Should the 7-day incidence rate in a region exceed 100 on three consecutive days, the federal government will be able to unilaterally impose restrictions as of the following day - the "Federal Emergency Brake Regulations." The restrictions include a large number of individual measures designed to significantly reduce contact.

For details about the new regulations, please refer to the dedicated website of the Federal government.

Covid-19 testing

Employers are required to offer employees who cannot work from home Covid-19 testing at least twice a week.  To reduce contact at work places and on public transportation, employers must - wherever possible - enable their employees to be able to work from home until June 30, 2021.

A majority of federal states have already  introduced mandatory coronavirus testing in schools. All asymtomatic citizens will also have the opportunity to take at least one rapid antigen test every week free of charge.

Useful further information

For details of the extended restrictions, please refer to the dedicated website of the German federal government.

Additionally, the special information website for the Corona virus provided by the Federal Ministry of Health offers useful information.

• Coronavirus and Germany