The children at home, the parents at the limit. The Omicron wave is rolling over Berlin and the rules as to when and who has to be in isolation are constantly changing and are therefore difficult to understand. When am I the contact person, when can my child go back to daycare? Why does it even have to stay at home? BZ explains which quarantine rules apply where.
school
Pupils have to be in quarantine for ten days or, if they are ill themselves, in isolation for the same length of time. However, as a contact person, you can test yourself free after five days with a rapid antigen test or PCR test. Isolation can be terminated after seven days using a certified rapid antigen test or PCR test. Fully vaccinated students do not need to be quarantined.
In Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, instead of going into quarantine, children should be tested daily and stay in class. It is often unclear who is considered the contact person. Sometimes it is the person sitting next to you, sometimes people who have had close contact with infected classmates for at least 10 minutes without a mask.
private household
The following rules have been in force throughout Germany since January 14 to curb the spread of the virus. Anyone who has a positive rapid test must then do a PCR test and isolate themselves. The quarantine does not apply to all boosted (three times vaccinated) contact persons.
The quarantine also does not apply to newly vaccinated and recovered people if the illness or vaccination was no more than three months ago (previously six). For everyone else, quarantine and isolation end after ten days without a test. If you want to end it earlier, you can do so after just seven days with a certified rapid antigen test or a PCR test. Those who are in quarantine are not allowed to leave the house and should isolate themselves in the apartment so as not to infect others.
Attention: Anyone who does not comply with the rules risks a fine of up to 1000 euros.
nursing professions
Employees in hospitals and care facilities such as retirement homes can end isolation after an illness with a PCR test after seven days if they have been symptom-free for at least 48 hours. This is to ensure that there are no staff shortages.
As contact persons, you can end a quarantine after seven days with a certified rapid antigen test or PCR test. In the hospitals and retirement homes, all visitors must also be tested.
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Airport/Travel
Anyone who flies or drives abroad during the holidays must observe special rules when returning to Germany: All returnees aged six and over must be vaccinated, have recovered OR have been tested (PCR or antigen test).
Almost all neighboring countries are currently high-risk areas. If you return from there, the following additional rules apply: After entering Germany, everyone must go into quarantine immediately for a period of at least ten days. Unless you have recovered or been vaccinated and send the corresponding proof online as a PDF document to the entry portal. For unvaccinated children under the age of six, the quarantine ends automatically after five days, all others can take a free test after five days.
Attention: If you have to go into quarantine because of a trip to a high-risk area, you are not entitled to compensation or continued payment of wages.
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office/workplace
Employers are obliged to enable home office or mobile working in the case of office work and similar activities.
Anyone who is in quarantine but is not ill must also work from home if this is possible. If a quarantine is ordered, you are also entitled to continued payment of wages. The employer then gets the money back from the state. Those who have to stay at home because the children are in quarantine are also entitled to money from the state if the children are under 12 years old. Loss of earnings will be reimbursed in full for up to six weeks. This also applies to the self-employed.
However, this only applies if you are vaccinated. Anyone who refuses to be vaccinated is not entitled to compensation.
Nursery school/kindergarten
Daycare children and their teachers also have to be in quarantine or isolation for ten days. As in schools, the isolation can be ended after seven days and the quarantine after five days if you do a rapid antigen test or PCR test and the result is negative. Free tests are possible in the test centers, but not by educators or parents.
In addition, from January 31, there will be a compulsory test for children over the age of one. You should test three times a week with the so-called lollipop tests.
However, the situation is so critical that from Monday the limited regular operation will apply again, as was the case last year. This means that the scope of care can be restricted. As a rule, however, seven hours a day should be offered. Parents are only allowed to enter the day-care center in exceptional cases and should leave their children at the entrance.