Although Germany lifted the temporary ban on travellers from South Africa on January 14, South Africa is still considered a high-risk country and is designated a Level-3 risk area.

Travel to Germany is still discouraged and only allowed if certain conditions apply.

These include visits to immediate family (provided the family member is a German citizen, EU citizen, citizen of the UK, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway or Iceland, or has residency) as well as short-term visits to extended family members for reasons including births, weddings or funerals.

Business travel is only permitted if the necessity for the trip can be demonstrated, while travel for work purposes is only permitted for specialists or highly qualified people, as well as trade fair exhibitors and visitors, provided the necessary documentation is submitted. Travel for sporting events and for religious and medical reasons is permitted, again subject to the necessary documentation.

All travellers from South Africa have to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result upon entry in Germany, carried out no more than 48 hours before. This also applies to passengers who are only in transit.

A 10-day quarantine in Germany is mandatory and all travellers from South Africa have to register online on the website www.einreiseanmeldung.de prior to their entry.

As reported in Travel News, from yesterday, January 25, Lufthansa’s Munich-Cape Town flights are cancelled, and Austrian Airlines’ (a member of the Lufthansa Group) Vienna-Cape Town service too will be cancelled for the European winter season.

The group still offers nine weekly connections out of SA as follows:

• Lufthansa will operate Johannesburg-Frankfurt three times a week instead of five times a week.
• Lufthansa will continue to operate Cape Town-Frankfurt three times a week.
• Lufthansa will no longer operate Cape Town-Munich.
• SWISS will continue to operate Johannesburg-Zurich three times a week.