Tough Luck: Germany Says It Will Not Repatriate Citizens on Holiday if They Are Sick with Covid-19

It’s tough luck for any German citizens who get stuck abroad this summer, as Germany has made it clear that it will not repatriate any citizens who get sick with COVID-19 whilst on holiday.

Heiko Mass, the German Foreign Minister, has confirmed that “the Government will not send special planes to repatriate tourists this summer”.

When the Covid-19 crisis broke out on a global level in March, over 240,000 German citizens were stranded in foreign countries with no way of getting back home as many airlines were grounded and borders were closed. Therefore, Germany was in charge of organizing the repatriation of almost a quarter of a million of its citizens.

“Whoever gets infected on vacation should note expect us to worry about bringing them back to Germany” warned Heiko Mass. However, he did note that in the most extreme situations, the embassy would be “willing to help as part of their consular duties”.