Four federal states will abolish the quarantine obligation in a few days. Those who have tested positive no longer have to stay at home. But one important mistake should be avoided. FOCUS online says what is important.
Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse and Schleswig-Holstein have agreed to abolish the obligation to isolate people infected with the corona virus from Wednesday.
Anyone who has tested positive will no longer have to be in isolation. So far, there has always been a five-day quarantine. It is apparently completely irrelevant whether those affected have symptoms or not. The only condition that those affected have to comply with is wearing an FFP2 mask outside the home.
The four federal states going it alone have created a patchwork quilt in Germany. Because in other federal states, the quarantine obligation continues to apply for the time being. Saxony, Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate may follow with a repeal in the next few days and weeks. Hamburg sticks to this rule.
The different rules have a direct impact on travelers and commuters. People who tested positive could therefore travel by train, bus or plane from Bavaria to Baden-Württemberg, but not to Berlin or Hamburg.
Anyone who can be proven to have violated quarantine regulations in Hamburg pays a fine of between 150 and 2,000 euros. Anyone who violates the Corona Protection Ordinance in Berlin pays between 1000 and 5000 euros.
The federal states determine the corresponding fines. In extreme cases, several thousand euros are due. Bayern even demanded 25,000 euros. Due to the elimination of the quarantine obligation, however, this regulation is obsolete.
Associations of statutory health insurance physicians called for the quarantine rules to be relaxed across Germany. In countries like Austria, where the quarantine obligation was lifted months ago, there are no negative consequences whatsoever for the spread of the virus, said CEOs Frank Dastych and Eckhard Starke. Therefore, this step is “not only medically responsible, but urgently required”.
The German Foundation for Patient Protection, on the other hand, criticized the planned end of the obligation to isolate. The quarantine counteracted the unhindered spread of the virus. If different regulations apply to this central issue in each federal state, it would be “chaotic”.
Anyone who feels ill should generally avoid crowds. However, as of Wednesday, there is no longer a quarantine obligation for people who have tested positive in the four federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse and Schleswig-Holstein.
As a result, those affected could go to the theatre, to the cinema, to work or even to the doctor. However, an FFP2 mask must be worn in public life and when leaving the house. This also applies to workplaces and entertainment rooms.
Anyone who takes off the mask in public after a positive test may have to expect a fine in these federal states.
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