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KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – U.S. servicemen and their families living in Germany will not have many travel options during the December vacation, either due to command decisions or the patchwork of state and local laws meant to curb an increase continuous coronavirus infections.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of the country’s 16 states agreed to close accommodation for leisure travel until January 10 at a meeting last week, but left open the possibility of briefly relaxing these restrictions around Christmas.
German officials said they would allow gatherings of up to 10 people from December 23 to January 1, up from a maximum of five, excluding children under 14.
Although a few states have announced they will open accommodation for short stays, most have not made a decision or have maintained stricter rules.
In Rheinland-Pfalz, where about 50,000 Americans affiliated with the U.S. military live mainly on Air Force and Army bases, state officials have not announced a decision on the whether travel restrictions should be eased.
Ramstein Air Force Base continues to discourage Air Force personnel from traveling for recreational purposes outside of their local commuting zone, “roughly defined as the general area in which a person lives, works and transit regularly, â€Lt. Col. William Powell, 86th Airlift Wing spokesperson, said Wednesday.
The wing’s policy is in line with the German federal government’s request to avoid unnecessary travel, Powell said.
In Bavaria, home to around 40,000 people affiliated with the Ministry of Defense, a law that came into effect Wednesday prohibits residents from leaving their homes for non-essential reasons.
Travel is only permitted for work, school, health appointments, outdoor exercise, family care, pets, food, household items and vacation shopping, depending on the law.
The 7th Army Training Command, headquartered in Bavaria, demanded that travel outside the home be “kept to a minimum for compelling reasons” in an order that went into effect Wednesday. Staff may travel to other homes within the national assembly limit. From December 23 to December 23 26, up to 10 people can gather privately.
A 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. curfew was scheduled to go into effect Wednesday night for the county that includes the Hohenfels training area, the U.S. Army garrison in Bavaria said on Wednesday.
Under the rule, leaving the house during the curfew period is only allowed for a medical or veterinary emergency; for official business purposes or for urgent training purposes; exercise parental custody and visitation rights; accompany the dying; animal care; and attending religious services between December 24 and December 26.
Members of the Hohenfels community “are personally responsible for any fines resulting from violations,” the garrison said on its Facebook page.
In Hesse, the state that hosts the US military headquarters in Wiesbaden, travel to visit family members will be allowed and people will be able to stay overnight in a hotel, the minister of state said on Thursday. , President Hesse Volker Bouffier, quoted by the news site t-online.de. It is not known how many days stays would be allowed from Wednesday.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Lower Saxony to the east, North Rhine-Westphalia to the west and Schleswig-Holstein on the Danish border also allow visits by family members and stays in hotels or comparable accommodation from December 23 to January 1.
But while Mecklenburg-Vorpommern allows people to stay three nights in accommodation, Schleswig-Holstein only allows a two-night stay. The North Rhine-Westphalia website did not say how long it would allow stays.
The rules apply to hotels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation rentals such as those found on Airbnb.
In addition, several districts and cities have implemented stricter rules than their states.
In neighboring countries, Swiss ski slopes are open, but Germany considers the country a risk zone, forcing anyone to return to quarantine for 10 days.
Austria’s ski areas are also open, but accommodation is closed until January 10 and a 10-day quarantine upon return to Germany is mandatory.
Germany now regularly sees 20,000 new cases of coronavirus per day, well above its spring peak of around 6,000 cases per day. The country is in what Merkel called “the lockdown light,” which has closed in-person dining at restaurants and closed entertainment facilities, among other restrictions.
All regulations are subject to change as German officials continue to meet over the next few weeks. The country’s academy of sciences called for tougher measures and on Tuesday Merkel told parliament she supported her recommendation to close most stores after Christmas.
Stars and Stripes reporter Jennifer H. Svan contributed to this report.
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