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German government relaxes restrictions on seasonal workers

AFP
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German government relaxes restrictions on seasonal workers
Harvest worker Lydia Berthold in an asparagus field in Kandel, Rhineland-Palatinate. Photo: DPA

The German government on Wednesday eased entry restrictions for seasonal farm workers that were first introduced to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.

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The German government on Wednesday eased entry restrictions for seasonal farm workers that were first introduced to
help stem the spread of the coronavirus.

From June 16th until December 31st, seasonal workers from the EU and the passport-free Schengen zone will once again be allowed to freely enter Germany by land or air to help harvest crops, Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner announced.

"Until the end of the year, farmers can employ additional seasonal workers from abroad," Klöckner said, warning however that they would have to follow strict hygiene rules.

"This is the only way to work responsibly in times of a pandemic. It's in all our interests that farmers can keep harvesting and sowing."

German farms usually require some 300,000 foreign harvest helpers a year, mainly from Poland and Romania.

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But at the height of the coronavirus crisis in March the government closed borders and capped the number of seasonal workers allowed to enter the country at 80,000.

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Farmers even chartered special flights to fly in Romanian workers amid fears that strawberry and asparagus harvests could go to waste because of a shortage of labour.

By early June just under 39,000 seasonal workers had travelled to Germany, according to the agriculture ministry.

Under the new guidelines, which come as Germany's coronavirus outbreak is deemed to be under control, harvest workers have to keep at least 1.5 metres (five feet) distance from each other and work in small teams.

If anyone falls ill with Covid-19, their team is to be isolated immediately and employers must notify the local health authorities.

READ ALSO: For the love of Spargel: Why Germany has eased border rules amid the pandemic

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