Germany begins testing unvaccinated travelers on its borders

Just an hour to go to the German-Polish border. It lies some eighty kilometers to the west. The Eurocity train from Warsaw comes to a halt at the small Polish town of Zbaszynek – population 5,000. There are just a few isolated passengers on the train.

But one couple can be spotted getting aboard: Klara Tomaschkewitsch and her boyfriend Fabio, both from the Austrian capital Vienna. After visiting Poland, they're on their way to Berlin. That should take about another two hours on the train.

Trains and cars join air travel on testing list

The two travelers are well aware that despite border-free travel around much of Europe, they might nevertheless be called on to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status. Until now, in Germany spot checks had only been carried out at airports.

But now the German police are extending stop-and-check operations to both trains and road traffic entering the country. No problem, say Klara and Fabio.

Anti-mask skepticism widespread in Poland

Klara Tomaschkewitsch tells DW: "It's good that everybody is subject to the same checks. If it's the right thing to do, then it's the right thing for everybody." Of course, the fact that she and Fabio are both double-vaccinated means they're pretty relaxed about being checked.

Fabio, who doesn't want to disclose his second name, says he too believes that in the broader European perspective tighter regulations are a good move: "It certainly gets my backing. Especially when you look at how some of Germany's neighbors have been tackling COVID. Here in Poland, for instance, lots of people simply don't wear masks. Still, the government insists the infection rate is on the low side."

A preventive measure

So, have Klara and Fabio heard that a lot has been said in the German media about how the stricter testing regime above all targets German travellers returning home and comes in response to a concern that Germany's vaccination drive is slowing down.

Klara says she's surprised: "It's not what I would have imagined. I see it quite simply as a preventive measure. But I think there are other ways of trying to get people to have the jab." Such as, she says, mandatory vaccinations for front line workers in the health sector. Or people who have regular contact with high-risk patients – like in France. It's an option that the German government has always dismissed.

Virologists see travelers as infection carriers

The new measures on Germany's borders have only been in place since the weekend.

They follow a rise in infection rates, with concerns running high because of the continuing spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus. The Robert Koch Institute in Berlin – Germany's leading authority on the prevention of infectious diseases – has been adamant in its response, saying that it is above all travelers returning from abroad who appear to be driving the numbers up.

It's still too early perhaps for Germany's federal police to comment on developments. But Commissioner André Behlendorf, a police spokesman in the town of Frankfurt an der Oder on Germany's border with Poland, was willing to risk a positive assessment.

Meanwhile, that train from Warsaw to Berlin arrived in Frankfurt an der Oder, and Behlendorf told DW: "We are very clear in what we want to see. We ask people for some sort of documentation that they have recovered from COVID-19, are fully vaccinated, or have a relevant test result. And so far, things have been very positive. Most people accept that we have a new situation. Most agree that it is necessary. And most are using the media to make sure that they're up to speed with developments."

Police direct travelers to testing centers

And what if things don't go so smoothly? "Well then they get some friendly advice on where the nearest test centers are located. And we inform the local public health authorities so that they can make sure that the person in question is tested. But that's no longer part of our job." And Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has made it clear that in extreme cases, people who break the rules could face hefty fines.

Commissioner Behlendorf is also at pains to emphasize that the many commuters who regularly make their way back and forth across the border will not be impacted by the new rules: "As was already the case, they must still be tested twice a week and always have their test results with them."

Short excursions not affected

Other regions are also reporting that the introduction of the new measures has largely been a smooth process. The police say that most people hold up the required documents as they near the border crossing – without even being asked.

This article was translated from German.

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