Germany puts Malta on list of high-risk COVID-19 countries

Travellers from Malta to Germany can expect to be quarantined, after Germany added Malta to its list of high COVID-19 risk regions yesterday.

The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs has updated its list of high-risk regions, adding to it regions from 15 EU and Schengen Area Member States, including the entire territory of Malta, the Netherlands and continental France.

The Robert Koch Institute, which is the German federal government agency and research institute responsible for disease control and prevention, updates the list on a weekly basis.

Among other areas also designated as high risk by the institute are continental France as well as the French Martinique overseas territory, the Mid-West, South-West, Mid-East, West and Midlands regions of Ireland, the regions of Campania and Liguria in Italy, the entire country of the Netherlands, as well as the East Midlands and West Midlands regions of the UK.

According to the RKI, the classification as a risk area is based on joint analysis and decision by the Federal Ministry of Health, the Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Home Affairs.

“For people entering the Federal Republic of Germany who have been in a risk area at any time within the last 14 days prior to entry, there may be an obligation to quarantine them in accordance with the respective quarantine regulations of the responsible federal states,” the RKI notes in a press release.

The agency said that its assessment is "mainly based on the number of infections and the type of outbreak, test capacities and tests carried out per inhabitant as well as measures taken in the states to contain the infection rate in each region."