In the future, the Federal Republic of Germany wants to enable all travelers who return home from a vacation abroad, for example, to test free of charge for the corona virus. This also applies if you have not even been in a region classified as a risk area by the authorities.

The implementation is to take place as follows: Test stations are to be set up at all German airports and seaports, where a PCR smear is taken. People who want to enter from risk areas should be tested on the spot. The results should be available within 72 hours. However, those affected who enter from risk zones must be in home quarantine at least until the result is available. 

If the border is crossed from a region classified as a non-risk area, e.g. Malta, Austria or Italy, a free corona test can also be taken, but not directly at the airport. For this purpose, the travelers should visit a doctor's practice or a laboratory. If this takes place within three days of returning to Germany, the state will cover the costs of the test. However, there is no obligation to participate, at least for the time being.

However, the government paper already gives indications that in future all travelers will have to undergo a PCR test when they arrive in Germany. One wants to examine the legal requirements for this. This should then apply not only to aviation and shipping, but also to rail, car and long-distance bus, provided that entry is from risk countries or the corresponding legal basis for testing all travelers is created.

Klagenfurt interprets entry regulations in an extremely idiosyncratic manner

In Austria, the opposition party Neos has been demanding mandatory and free tests for arriving travelers, especially in air traffic, for some time. At the moment the situation is extremely confused, because in principle citizens and residents of Austria can enter at any time, but with regard to the quarantine it depends on which country you have stayed. In the "green" listed countries, for example Malta or Germany, there is no paperwork whatsoever, but a normal Schengen border has been restored. The situation is very different for most of the Balkan states.

The implementation of the entry formalities is handled very differently within Austria. While no formalities are required at all airports, with the exception of Klagenfurt, when entering from Germany by air, the city of Klagenfurt am Wörthersee interprets the relevant ordinance of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health completely differently.

The city of Klagenfurt requires every passenger arriving from Germany to sign a form that differs from the nationally standardized forms. This contains a quarantine clause that should not actually exist due to the current legal situation. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health was extremely astonished by the procedure in Carinthia and, to put it simply, pointed out that there is no legal basis for these forms if entry is from countries that are on the ministry's green list.

When faced with this, the health department of the City of Klagenfurt did not want to know anything about the ministry's point of view and replied as follows: "When entering Austria, the data is collected from all passengers in order to inquire about their normal place of residence and stay during the last 14 days for passengers arriving from Germany. The legal basis for this is the 263 ordinance of the Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection. The 14-day home quarantine is only necessary if passengers come from a country according to §2 (1) and do not have a medical certificate with them. That is why employees from the health department are at the airport every time they land in order to implement this ordinance based on the entry forms. Passengers who have their main place of residence in Germany and who have stayed there for the last 14 days, of course, do not have to be in quarantine. For travelers in transit from Cologne Airport, the travel history is decisive for further advice. "

After submitting the NOTAMs of the Republic of Austria, which are binding for aviation, and quotations from the perspective of the ministry, the health department of the City of Klagenfurt no longer responded to the corresponding follow-up request. Also it could not be answered why one behaves differently from the NOTAM of the Republic of Austria.