Germany tightens COVID pass rules due to Omicron

Author: Louise Pieterse

Last update: January 13th, 2021.

Germany is in the grips of a dramatic fourth wave of COVID and stricter vaccine certificate measures are being imposed nationwide.

Chancellor Angela Merkel announced tighter restrictions in “an act of national solidarity”: non-essential shops and services, such as cinemas and restaurants, will be restricted to vaccinated and recovered citizens.

Unvaccinated citizens are thus currently under partial lockdown. This is also the case for private events, where unvaccinated people are limited to meeting two other people from different households at a time.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate aims to restore free movement in Europe and the Schengen area but due to high infection rates, it has also been implemented locally to restrict access to vaccinated residents and limit movements of unvaccinated people.

COVID restrictions in Germany: vaccine passport required

Most recently Germany has introduced a 2G and 3G system, creating a division between tested persons and vaccinated or recovered people.

Merkel has called the situation in Germany “worrying” and has agreed on several new German COVID pass rules along with her cabinet.

For additional restrictions to be put in place, local governments will refer to the hospitalization rate rather than the infection rate. Once the hospitalization rate hits 3 people per 100,000, the 2G rule will apply and Germany’s vaccine passport will be used throughout.

Under the new criteria, a hospitalization rate of more than 6 people per 100,000 will see a state move to 2G+ status, requiring PCR tests above recovery and vaccination certificates.

Once the value soars above 9, stricter measures will be implemented, restricting almost all contact.

All states in Germany are above the threshold of 3, except for Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and Saarland.

Saxony and Bavaria preemptively imposed the 2G rule earlier in November, before the new rules were introduced. Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia are already above 9, and so will face the strictest measures.

The threshold of 3 places 2G restrictions on gastronomical services, accommodation, events, and services that require close contact like salons.

Workplaces will continue to operate under 3G rules.

COVID-19 testing continues to be free in Germany.

Due to rising infection rates, temporary closure has been mandated for bars and nightclubs in areas with a COVID-19 infection rate above 350 per 100,000 people in a week.

What is the 2G rule in Germany?

Germany introduced a 2G and 3G system, distinguishing between vaccinated and unvaccinated residents.

When the 3G system is imposed, vaccinated people may enter public spaces with a PCR test as long as it is no older than 72 hours.

Once a state moves to 2G, PCR tests are no longer accepted as a valid method of entry, and only vaccinated and recovered residents holding Germany’s COVID pass may use the facility.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate in Germany is issued once full immunity has been reached 14 days after completing the vaccination course.

A new level of 2G+ has also been introduced for the most affected areas. The 2G+ rules require a PCR test despite vaccination or recovery status.

COVID-19 vaccination in Germany

By January 13th, over 72% of German residents have been fully vaccinated.

Germany once set the record for the highest amount of vaccines administered in 24 hours, over 1 million doses, but vaccine hesitancy has halted the uptake.

Vaccination may become mandatory nationwide in February 2022 if infection rates remain high.

Can I travel to Germany now?

Unvaccinated people coming from countries listed as “high incidence areas” and “risk areas” must register online at www.einreiseanmeldung.de 10 days before traveling, self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival, and provide a negative PCR test that is not older than 48 hours.

Countries currently classified as “high risk” by Germany are:

Germany’s Corona-Warn App

The Corona-Warn app is the most successful digital contact tracing app in Europe. It has been downloaded close to 30 million times.

Corona-Warn allows German users to check whether people in their vicinity have tested positive for COVID-19.

In April alone, 79,000 people were able to alert the network of their positive status. Such an alert goes out to an average of 6 people, of which 80% will go on to get tested. Of those, 7% have then subsequently tested positive on average.

Around 140,000 COVID-19 infections have been identified thanks to the Corona-Warn app.

Corona-warn app’s 2.0 version

The app can now also display the results of a rapid antigen test taken at certain facilities.

Once a user has taken the rapid test, they can simply scan a QR code and receive the results on the app shortly after.

These results can be displayed on the app for 48 hours and can prove helpful when entering public spaces like shopping centers.

8 testing facilities are officially part of the new update:

Over 100 other testing facilities have applied to come on board.

COVID-19 cases and vaccinations in Germany

COVID cases dramatically increased in October and an all-time high of over 100,000 new cases was recorded on December 9th. Infection rates remain high at an average 50,000 new cases per day.

By January 13th, Germany has had over 7,780, 000 total COVID-19 cases and over 317,000 deaths.