Germany Now Requires Compulsory Test Results for All Incoming Flight Passengers

The German Federal Ministry of Health has announced that all persons entering the country by plane are now obliged to submit a negative COVID-19 test result prior to boarding.

Regardless of which risk area they are travelling from, every individual has to undergo the same measures. However, the swab on which the Coronavirus test is based should not be older than 48 hours, the Federal Ministry of Health explains in a Q&A published on its official website.

The new regulations will be effective from March 30 until May 12, 2021, AtoZSerwisPlus.de reports.

The requirements will apply to air travellers only. However, other forms of transport will be affected as well for travellers entering from high-risk areas. Moreover, crews, crew members, and children under the age of six are exempted from the new rules.

The Ministry informed that the testing of the travellers must be performed at the approved laboratories abroad. The test results should be available before departure so that the traveller can submit them to the carrier, and the costs should be covered by the passengers themselves.

Furthermore, the Ministry asserted that no one is forced to undergo a Coronavirus test. However, the airline companies are allowed only to carry passengers that present a negative test result.

Commenting on the test recognition, the Ministry announced that methods of nucleic acid amplification technology (PCR, LAMP, TMA) and antigen test are recognised. In contrast, antibody tests are not recognised.

Rapid antigen tests are recognised if they fulfil the minimum requirements recommended by the WHO, which, compared to PCR tests, should achieve ≥80 per cent sensitivity and ≥97 per cent specificity.

The tests must be monitored by an authorised third party, which has to confirm the identity of the person tested through an official ID photo. The test result should include the type of the test and the date when it was conducted, and it should be submitted in physical or electronic form in any of the following languages German, English, or French.

In order for the health authorities to be able to compare the criteria, information on the antigen test and the manufacturer should be provided.

“Transport by the transport company is only permitted with a negative test certificate. Insulation according to local regulations is to be carried out at your own risk,” the Ministry’s press release reads regarding the German citizens that happen to be abroad when tested positive.

The test verification procedure will be carried out from the air carriers. Additionally, the Health Department and the Federal Police may require the test certificate submission.

The Ministry also explained that persons that do not submit a test certificate during the inspection process would be refrained from entering the country. The same applies to people that offer invalid data. The violation of these obligations is subjected to a fine.

Previously today, it was reported that the International Air Transport Association  (IATA) urged the governments to include antigen tests in the testing requirements in order to restart air travel safely.