Travel safely during Corona – These precautions are recommended by the Robert Koch Institute

More and more Corona measures are falling away, increasingly states are opening their borders and gradually everyday life is returning. After a long time, you can finally look forward to traveling on vacation again without worries. However, even though the situation seems calm at the moment, officials continue to recommend that some safety precautions be followed. You can find out what precautions the Robert Koch Institute recommends so that you can travel safely during Corona in our travel blog.

Table of Contents

Follow standard sanitation practices

The basis for preventing any infection is hygiene. Accordingly, the RKI continues to recommend that common hygiene practices be followed. These include the measures commonly known as the AHA + L rules, d.h.

• Regular washing and disinfecting of hands
• Wearing a medical or FFP2 mask in places with a lot of people
• Keeping safe distances
• Periodic airing

In addition, it is recommended to meet only in smaller groups of people, as well as to always measure your own body temperature.

Plan your travel program in a safe environment

If possible, the RKI recommends planning events in an outdoor location, as this is where you are least likely to contract the Corona virus. So, if there is a possibility, organize your travel program in a way that takes place outside. If a program is only possible indoors, for example because it is part of a package tour, it is recommended to use a mask and distance.

Finally, you should always keep in mind the case rates and Corona regulations that affect the destination of your travel itinerary so that you can protect yourself with additional measures if necessary or. Be able to stop the trip.

Stay home if you have symptoms of covid 19 disease

If you notice symptoms of corona disease, the RKI recommends using a rapid antigen test immediately. If the test result is negative but symptoms persist, you should still isolate yourself at home and report to your primary care physician for a PCR test. If your family doctor is not available, get help from the medical on-call service (Tel. 116 117).

According to the RKI, symptoms of corona illness include:

• Sniff
• Sore throat, limbs and headache
• Increased temperature and fever
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of sense of smell and taste
• General weakness

If you receive a positive test result while you have already started your journey or are on your way, you should immediately seek isolation. Furthermore, the RKI recommends notifying all persons with whom you had contact two days before the positive test.

In addition, avoid contact with risk groups such as the elderly or people with pre-existing conditions. If you belong to a risk group, you should seek treatment before the onset of symptoms, according to the RKI.

Inform yourself about the infection situation in your destination country

Before setting off, the RKI advises you to inform yourself about the infection situation in the destination country. Information on the course of the pandemic abroad as well as all the latest updates can usually be obtained directly from the homepage of the German Foreign Office.

The Foreign Office distinguishes between two types of risk areas. First, there are the high-risk areas. This refers to areas that have a particularly high infection rate. Secondly, travel destinations that are designated as virus variant areas should be noted. Under this category falls an area, in which virus variants of the Coronavirus occur, which has not yet occurred in Germany.

For both forms of risk areas, the Foreign Office issues a travel warning for tourism purposes. In addition, a travel warning can be issued for countries that are not classified as risk areas. This happens if restrictions apply to the entry into or the departure from Germany.

Currently, the German Foreign Office has not issued any travel warnings; among other things, the obligation to provide proof of vaccination within the EU borders has been dropped. Nevertheless, you should continue to monitor the situation in order to be able to react to changes in time. For this purpose, the German Foreign Office has launched the "Sicher Reisen App" (Safe Travel App), which allows you to find information on the situation in the country of your choice even when you are on the road.

Our expert tip for safe travel during Corona

You have followed the hygiene rules, organized the outdoor program, are tested as well as symptom-free and furthermore have informed yourself about the situation abroad. Nevertheless, it has happened, you have infected yourself with the Corona virus during the trip in spite of everything. What now?

First of all, you should prepare yourself for the worst case scenario by taking out an international health insurance policy. If you have a severe course of the disease, this covers the treatment costs abroad on the one hand and the medically reasonable repatriation costs for the return trip to Germany on the other hand.

• Note: Some insurers exclude pandemics from their terms and conditions. This can jeopardize your entire trip, as in some countries it is mandatory for travelers to have insurance with corona coverage before entering the country. However, contrary to the terms and conditions, our travel health insurance includes corona disease.

If you fall ill with Corona and the trip has to be canceled, the travel cancellation insurance takes effect. This covers the cancellation and rebooking costs in case of travel cancellation.

Complementary trip interruption insurance serves to cushion your costs if you have to interrupt a trip you have already begun due to a Corona illness (again, make sure your policy includes pandemics carefully!).

If you now have a mild course or are symptom-free but tested positive, you usually have to go into quarantine to be on the safe side. If the quarantine is considered an official measure or is prescribed by a doctor due to a Corona infection or the suspicion of a Corona infection, a Corona quarantine supplementary insurance covers the additional costs.