Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
As of midnight on Friday, March 13, the US will impose a general entry ban on all people travelling from Europe. America is the latest country to have tightened entry controls in response to the spread of the coronavirus. Here’s a full list of other countries that are currently imposing restrictions on travellers from Germany and German airports.
On Wednesday, the US announced it would impose a general entry ban on anyone who had been in a country covered by the Schengen Treaty within 14 days of their planned departure to the US.
According to President Trump, the ban does not apply to American citizens, who will be allowed back into the country after they have been screened for coronavirus. The UK is also exempt from the ban.
Trump accused authorities in Europe of being much too slow to react to the spread of the virus and failing to impose drastic measures. So far, there have been more than 1.200 cases of coronavirus in the US, resulting in 38 deaths.
Argentina also announced new travel restrictions on Thursday. It will stop issuing temporary residence permits or visas for passengers travelling from the Schengen Area (including Germany), the US, China, South Korea, the UK, Iran and Japan for an unspecified amount of time. Other countries in Latin America, including Peru, Bolivia and Honduras, will suspend flights to and from Europe.
Bhutan has initially banned all foreign tourists from entering the country after an American citizen tested positive for COVID-19. It was the first confirmed case in the country.
There is currently no general quarantine requirement for travellers entering China from Germany, but the Federal Foreign Office expects that one will be imposed soon. The decisions are made by different authorities at different levels and can even vary within a city.
In the Macao special administrative zone, travellers who have been in Germany for the past 14 days must submit to medical monitoring for two weeks. In the capital city Beijing, all people arriving from abroad are being quarantined for 14 days. Additional precautions are being taken for newcomers from high-risk countries like Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan.
Any passengers who have been in the district of Heinsberg in North-Rhine Westphalia in the past 14 days will be placed in quarantine for two weeks upon arrival in Croatia. Croatian national will be required to self-isolate.
Anyone travelling from Germany to Cyprus can expect to spend 14 days in quarantine. This measure also applies to travellers from Greece, France, Japan, Spain, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and some regions of China. So far, three people on the island have been diagnosed with infections.
On Thursday, the Czech Republic declared a 30-day state of emergency and closed its borders to travellers from 15 designated "risk countries". As well as Germany, this ban applies to people travelling from China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Denmark and France.
All travellers who have been to Germany in the 30 days prior to arrival are currently not allowed to enter El Salvador. This also applies to transit passengers.
Starting from March 14, Hong Kong will extend its travel restrictions to passengers arriving from North-Rhine Westphalia. Like travellers from China, Iran and the Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy, arrivals from this federal state will face a 14-day mandatory quarantine. Hong Kong nationals and residents are exempt from the restriction.
Due to coronavirus, India has invalidated all tourist visas for one month. From Friday, March 13, the entry ban will last until April 15. As well as tourist visas, the block also affects all visa categories, with the exception of visas for diplomats, civil servants and employees of international organisations as well as work and project visas.
Special rules apply to people who are still allowed to enter the country and come from certain severely-affected countries. They must stay in quarantine for at least 14 days. Travellers who are already in the country are allowed to stay.
From the evening of Thursday, March 12, tourists are no longer allowed to enter Israel, unless they can prove that they can quarantine themselves for 14 days. The measure - which previously applied to Germans and some other foreigners but now affects all travellers - will initially remain in force for two weeks. Anyone who shows symptoms of coronavirus is urged to contact the emergency services immediately.
Travellers arriving as tourists are not allowed to enter Italy via airports in the following areas: Alessandria, Asti, Lombardy, Modena, Novara, Padova, Parma, Pesaro and Urbino, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Treviso-Venice, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Vercelli.
As of the beginning of next week (March 16), travellers from Germany, France and Spain will no longer be allowed to enter the Kingdom of Jordan - and Jordanians will not be allowed to visit these countries, either.
From Thursday, March 12, foreigners from Germany, Spain and France are prohibited from entering Kazakhstan. Kazakh citizens entering from these countries will have to go into quarantine for two weeks.
The Pacific Islands of Kiribati, Samoa and the Marshall Islands have all imposed an entry ban on travellers from Germany.
Anyone arriving from Germany will face a 14-day quarantine in a state observation centre.
Anyone who has travelled through Germany, France, Spain or Japan in the last 14 days will have to submit to a medical examination upon arrival in Macau. They will also be kept under medical supervision at a designated venue for 14 days.
Two resort islands and one island inhabited by locals temporarily may not be entered or left due to some suspected coronavirus infections.
Passengers entering Malta who have travelled through either Spain, Germany, France or Switzerland will be forced to enter mandatory quarantine for 14 days upon arriving in Malta. This applies from March 11.
As of Tuesday, March 10, Nepal will no longer issue visas for German citizens on arrival. Before they travel, they must apply for a visa at the Nepalese embassy and submit a negative coronavirus test along with their application.
Anyone arriving in Norway from outside the Nordic region will be required to self-isolate from two weeks. This regulation was put in place on March 12 and is expected to last until March 26.
Anyone travelling to Moscow from Germany must independently quarantine themselves for two weeks. Upon arrival, travellers should also contact a special hotline. These provisions so far only apply to the city of Moscow.
Unless you're a Saudi national, if you have travelled through Germany or a number of other countries including China, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Spain or Turkey in the last 14 days, you will not be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia.
Despite only having 16 cases, Slovakia has taken drastic measures to control the spread of coronavirus, including closing all schools and stopping all international travel. Foreigners will not be permitted to enter the country.
Travellers from Germany have been encouraged not to go to Uganda. Those who "insist on travelling" will have to go into self-quarantine for two weeks. Those who do not abide by this guideline will be forcibly placed into institutional quarantine.
Vietnam has suspended the visa waiver for citizens of Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, starting from March 12.