The corona virus not only undermines travel plans, but slows down public life to an unprecedented extent in more and more places – as is currently the case in Italy. Travelers should therefore keep up to date with the situation at the respective destination, for example about the website of the Federal Foreign Office.
What is the situation in Italy?
The Robert Koch Institute classifies medical meanwhile all of Italy as a risk area, i.e. a region in which a continued transmission of the infection from person to person can be suspected. In order to get the crisis under control, the Italian government initially declared large parts of the north, and on March 10, the entire country, by decree to be a restricted zone. Around 60 million people are affected. The departure to Germany is still possible and “border closures are not intended”, it says at the Federal Foreign Office.
The Federal Foreign Office (AA) is now advising – without the previous gradations between individual regions – not to travel to Italy as a whole. Germans who are already in the country recommend that to limit the movement there to the necessary and to fill in self-explanations. There is still no official travel warning. According to an Austrian government spokesman, the extensive freeze on entry to Austria from Italy should primarily affect Italians. The passage of tourists from Germany, for example, should remain possible, provided they did not stop in Austria. Among other things, the fuel gauge can be checked before entering the country.
The AA also recommends that you check with the Italian diplomatic and consular representations before you travel, or whether you have canceled the trip or connection in question. If you are already in Italy, you can also call the Hotline 1500 at Ministero della Salute choose. Schools, universities and many public institutions are temporarily closed throughout Italy, football matches are played without an audience, events are canceled. Most cable cars and inns in South Tyrol prematurely end the winter season on March 11 and are expected to cease operation by April 3, the said Tourism companies in their commitment With.
How does the virus affect travel regulations worldwide?
The Federal Foreign Office currently advises, among other things of trips to Iran from, another focus of the coronavirus outbreak. At the same time, entry regulations for newcomers from Germany are changing in more and more countries. Israel has been denying entry to tourists from Germany since 6 March – unless you can show a possibility of domestic quarantine in Israel for the first 14 days (a hotel stay is not counted as such). Here, too, the measures are being tightened again: “Tourists who are in Israel will be given time to leave in the next few days in an orderly manner,” said a statement by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday. An exact date was not given. If tourists have symptoms beforehand, they should report to the emergency services immediately, otherwise they should follow hygiene rules, avoid crowds of people and document their travel route in Israel. A return to neighboring countries after departure is not possible. The air Line El Al has updated the cancellation and rebooking conditions accordingly.
Uganda Germans de facto impose an entry ban: If they do not go into self-quarantine for two weeks, they would be forced into “institutional quarantine at their own expense”, it says in the security notice of the Federal Foreign Office. Similar quarantine requirements for Germans after arrival have recently been added to Russia, but initially only for Moscow. The kingdom Bhutan again, with immediate effect, no tourists are allowed to enter the country for two weeks. Germans are also the entry to El Salvador, Kazakhstan as well as the Pacific island states Kiribati, Mashall Islands and Samoa forbidden.
Vietnam temporarily waives the visa-free regime for Germans, Vacationers can use the Internet Apply for an electronic visa. Also Nepal No longer issues visas on arrival, Germans must instead apply in advance – upon presentation of a negative Covid 19 test. Thailand asks Germans to voluntarily quarantine them for two weeks after arrival. Since this is only a recommendation, it does not mean that those affected have to do so in their hotel. The Thai Ministry of Health also urges travelers from certain countries to avoid gathering people – here Germans are also meant.
Poland introduces hygiene controls at its borders with Germany and the Czech Republic. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday that they would concentrate on buses. In the next few days, the campaign is to be extended to international long-distance trains and ports. If a coronavirus infection is suspected, those affected would be taken straight to a hospital. The Republic of Moldova no longer allows foreign air passengers who come from countries affected by the corona virus to enter – it was initially unclear how this ban should be implemented.
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The virus can also be thwarted in other parts of Europe and the world: The Lufthansa Group announced that it will greatly reduce the number of flights in the coming weeks, half of the connections could fail – Passengers should check the current status of their flight. With canceled connections, the passengers get all their money back. There are also deletions from the international flight schedules for many other airlines, such as Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways or United Airlines. Many cruise lines have Ships from Asia diverted to other parts of the world.
What does the Federal Foreign Office advise?
- Travelers should travel to outbreak areas in the Crisis preparedness list register and keep up to date with the situation in the country, for example about the Safe travel app of the office.
- In Germany it is “flu season” right now, the symptoms resemble an infection with coronaviruses. Therefore, travelers should get vaccinated against flu as early as possible to avoid unnecessary suspected corona cases.
- As for all people, the same applies to tourists: you should wash your hands regularly and properly and generally keep them away from your face.
- Protective masks should be worn in public in outbreak areas.
- If you have a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, you should contact a doctor and point out a trip to an outbreak area.
- Before starting the trip, you should check with the Representation of the respective country inquire about current entry and possible quarantine regulations – and about entry bans if you were previously in a risk area.
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Travelers can find more information at Leaflet COVID-19 as well as on the website of the Robert Koch Institute and the WHO as well as the Federal Center for Health Education.
What precautions does Deutsche Bahn take?
If the authorities find a suspected corona on a train, the affected area will be blocked and professionally cleaned and disinfected after the trip, the company reports. The passengers would then be informed by the train staff that they should store their data (via bahn.de/corona or on 0800 5 14 15 14) so that the authorities can contact you if necessary. In addition, travelers could return and have their tickets returned free of charge in many cases: this applies to trips to Corona areas in Italy, cancellations of events such as trade fairs, concerts or sporting events due to the virus or if the hotel is quarantined at the destination.
Who pays when a train is delayed due to suspected coronavirus?
In the night on Shrove Monday had two ÖBB trains on the Brenner at first stop – it was only after two sick women had been tested negatively that the other passengers were allowed to continue traveling and did not arrive in Munich until well after midnight. If, in such a case, public transport can no longer bring the passengers to their destination, they are entitled to a taxi ride under European law (however, the railway companies pay a maximum of 50 euros) or, for larger distances, an overnight stay (limited to 80 euros additional payment, often should if possible stay in nearby contract hotels – here are the compensation rules of the ÖBB and the German train). In addition, customers who are more than one hour late can claim a quarter of the one-way fare as compensation, from two hours even half. These amounts are due for rail travel – unlike flights – regardless of fault.
Are there special rules if I book a trip now?
More and more airlines, railway companies and tour operators are currently loosening their cancellation rules in order to get customers to plan their vacation despite the uncertainty caused by the spread of the corona virus: anyone who rebooks in the coming weeks can rebook or cancel again free of charge up to 14 days before departure . Such rules apply, for example, to Tui, DER Touristik, FTI, Alltours and Schauinsland. Depending on the organizer, the goodwill is limited in time, at Tui For example, the free cancellation is currently only possible until the end of April. For Asia trips are valid at Tui again more generous provisions, here the free cancellation period ends on August 30th. In the area of cruises, only individual shipping companies have so far loosened their cancellation conditions and, for example, are introducing credit notes (an overview can be found here).
What if I don’t want to start a trip I’ve already planned?
Anyone who has not booked a package deal and, for example, goes abroad by car or train, has not concluded a contract under German travel law, says travel law expert Paul Degott. Therefore, these vacationers have to negotiate with their contractual partners on site, be it in a hotel or at a rental car, and hope for goodwill.
The closer the vacation was, the higher the cancellation costs for the hotel room for individual travelers, for example: Here you could try to postpone the travel date – so the hotel could continue to count on the income, you would save the cancellation fee yourself.
Individual travelers also have more rights if they want to travel to now-closed areas: “A hotel booking can also be canceled free of charge with an official entry ban because the accommodation is no longer accessible,” explains travel law expert Ernst Führich. This also applies to Italian law. The lawyer explains that anyone who has booked on a German-speaking hotel portal on the Internet is already subject to German law. Then vacationers turn to the intermediary – i.e. the portal – and insist on a free cancellation of the stay. In the event of a dispute, the consumer can be sued at the court of residence.
However, many providers are already responding to the current situation with special regulations. The Airbnb platform, for example, has information about free cancellations under “special circumstances” summarized here for guests and hosts.
The Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB currently offer that tickets for passenger transport to and from Italy can be canceled free of charge up to and including Thursday, March 12. In general, the ticket may be canceled before the first day of validity as long as the customer has not yet received the booking as a PDF ticket, it says at the ÖBB.
The Italian railway companies also meet customers: Trenitalia already announced in February that train journeys, regardless of tariff, would be fully reimbursed if trips were canceled due to the corona virus. Anyone who has booked a ticket for a high-speed or long-distance train will receive a voucher with a validity of one year, for regional train tickets there will be a cash refund. The Italian express train provider Italo offers vouchers for all trips from and to the affected regions in northern Italy, which are valid until the end of July.
Lufthansa insures its passengersthat they can rebook or cancel free of charge if they cannot start their trip due to changed entry requirements due to the spread of the corona virus. In addition, the Lufthansa Group (with Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Air Dolomiti) relaxed their rules for rebooking: Until March 31, all newly booked flights can be postponed to a new date until December 31, 2020. This also applies to flights already purchased with a departure date by April 30th. In both cases, however, it means that the departure and destination port must remain the same and if the original tariff is no longer available, customers have to pay more.
But whoever – regardless of which airline – no longer wants to travel for fear of being infected and therefore cancels a ticket for a regular flight himself, “will indeed have the problem that the airline will possibly repay the taxes and fees that I have to pay then don’t arise if I don’t fly, “explains travel law expert Degott. But: “Experience shows that the airlines are not terribly willing to pay.” You certainly have to write letters and fight to get these costs back.
Do customers get compensation under EU law if airlines cancel their flight?
Actually, the following applies: If the company cancels a flight at short notice up to two weeks in advance, the passengers are entitled to replacement flights and compensation according to EU passenger directive 261 to. But is that also true in the Corona crisis? Airlines rely on exceptional circumstances and only want to reimburse ticket prices or offer free rebookings. Internet passenger portals, on the other hand, see good chances of compensation ranging from 250 to 600 euros.
In the event of a dispute, consumers can in principle contact the arbitration board for public passenger transport (SÖP), file an individual complaint with their own lawyer, or cooperate with one of the numerous Internet portals that take on the small legal war with the airlines against success fees. Lufthansa, Ryanair and Co. had canceled their European flights solely for business reasons, argues, for example, Lars Watermann from the EUflight portal, who is already buying passengers their claims from the Corona cancellations. There were no official bans. The airline alone must bear the entrepreneurial risk of occupancy. The Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry (BDL), on the other hand, says: The cuts in the flight plans are ultimately due to exceptional circumstances, because the companies only reacted to the spread of the virus. And no compensation had to be paid for that. The case of flights to Israel, which were canceled due to the strict entry restrictions, is legally clear: Here Israel has caused an “exceptional circumstance” so that the airlines do not have to pay compensation, only the ticket costs.
Do cancellation insurance help?
A Cancellation insurance also does not pay if the customer is only afraid of the illness and do not fall ill before the start of the holiday. Anyone who gets symptoms on the way would need travel cancellation insurance anyway – this is actually only recommended for more expensive trips. Foreign health insurance should also be taken out by privately insured people, since they usually do not cover the cost of return transport.
What are package holidaymakers entitled to?
Package holidaymakers are best advised to contact their tour operator directly: For tourists who wanted to go on holiday in restricted regions, they have to enable rebooking or pay back the travel price. Because of the exceptional circumstances, customers will not receive any compensation for lost vacation enjoyment.
For all German package tourists who are currently traveling in affected countries outside of quarantine areas or are planning a trip soon: If they have to cut back on individual program items, they will get money back. If the highlight of a package tour fails or a city trip is not possible as planned because museums, churches and shops are closed, customers can withdraw from the travel contract free of charge. The judgment of the Federal Court of Justice on such cases also applies to trips to China, where sights such as the Forbidden City in Beijing are not accessible.
What if I just come back from a trip?
Interrupting the chains of infection is one of the most important measures against the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Passengers from Italy must therefore now provide their data when they arrive in Germany, a joint crisis team from the Ministry of Health and the Interior decided. Appropriate exit cards are designed to ensure that all travelers can be contacted quickly if a passenger is found to be infected. Previously, data collection had only applied to passengers from China, and at the end of February the regulation was extended to departure locations in Italy, South Korea, Japan and Iran. Such disembarkation cards are also to be filled out in cross-border train and bus traffic; this was also ordered in shipping.
How do travelers behave correctly if they fear they have been infected?
The Robert Koch Institute advises holidaymakers who have been in regions with Covid 19 cases but who are not yet considered to be at risk: if you get a fever, cough and shortness of breath within two weeks, you should see a doctor – but only after registering by telephone, which explicitly refers to the trip. You should avoid contacts and stay at home if possible as well Cough and sneeze label as well as good Hand hygiene adhere. Who in one Risk area identified by the Robert Koch Institute shouldn’t go with people, regardless of symptoms. Whether vacationer or not: Anyone who has had contact with someone who has been diagnosed with the Sars-CoV-2 virus should contact the competent health department report – even if you feel fit.
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