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Update: What are the Covid rules on travelling between the UK and Germany?

The Local Germany
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Update: What are the Covid rules on travelling between the UK and Germany?
A person arriving at the Heathrow International Airport in London. Photo: DPA

Germany and the UK are both now in lockdown and have rules restricting travel. Here's what you need to know about travel between the two.

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Travelling from Germany

All of the UK except Scotland is in a new lockdown, with the new restrictions in England having started on Thursday morning. The people of England are now confined to bubbles - like their "childcare bubble" and their "support bubble."

People in a support bubble are allowed to have a sleepover but otherwise there is not too much fun to be had there these days. People are currently only allowed to leave the house if they have a specific reason for doing so.

Your can read up on all the rules HERE

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Additionally, except in circumstances of a family emergency like a funeral, you are not allowed to stay in a hotel or guest house. You're also not allowed to stay at anyone else's house unless they are a member of your support bubble.

Should you want to go there nonetheless - and providing you have found someone to be part of your bubble - note that as of November 7th, there is a requirement for people travelling from Germany to go into quarantine.

The UK Government says that this is "based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks" in Germany.

The official advice states: "If you are returning to the UK from Germany on or after 4am on November 7th, you will need to self-isolate on your return (unless you are exempt). Check the latest guidance for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales."

Previously the British government had created a “travel corridor” for Germany, meaning that people arriving in the UK did not have to self isolate or even undergo a test for the virus at the border.

SEE ALSO: Brits in EU risk losing UK bank accounts 'within weeks'

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The German government warns that UK authorities will expect you to fill out an online form in which you have to divulge quite a lot of information about your travel plans, such as where you are staying and how you are planning on getting there.

This form must be filled out online before you arrive in the UK. Failure to do so may result in you paying a fine.

You can find the form HERE

Traveling from the UK to Germany

It is still possible to travel from the UK to Germany, with airlines running a limited schedule. But you should be aware that Germany considers the whole of the UK except for the Channel Isles, the Isle of Mann and some small overseas territories as risk areas.

That classification, which means that over 50 people per 100,000 have been infected with the virus in the past week, has implications for what you need to do when you arrive in Germany.

Either you go into quarantine for 14 days when you arrive, or you undergo a PCR test at the border and self-isolate for two days until your test results come in.  After that, you are free to leave the house.

But you should also be aware that there is currently a lockdown in place in Germany. This lockdown is not as stringent as the one in the UK, but it does prohibit overnight stays in hotels and guest houses for touristic purposes.

At the same time, there are no specific rules on how many people you can meet inside your own home or theirs. Germany does currently ban more than two households from meeting in public. Angela Merkel also appealed to people to “reduce contacts to the absolute minimum.”

READ MORE: UK, Switzerland and most of Austria placed on 'high risk' quarantine list 

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Anonymous 2020/11/05 22:21
This is not quite accurate. From 7th November the UK will remove Germany from its travel corridor. This means Travelers from Germany to the UK will indeed have to go into 14 days of quarantine on arrival. This info is on the gov.uk website.

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