December 30, 2020
Crossing EU borders during a pandemic by train
Hello everyone,
while it is normally pretty easy to travel in the European Union, this year everything is different. But what do you have to expect this year and what should you be aware of when traveling in times of Covid 19?
This year I decided to travel to Germany twice to visit my family- once during the summer holidays in July and now in December to spend Christmas and New Years’ Eve there. I usually travel by train, which means crossing the borders Sweden-Denmark and Denmark-Germany.
You can generally always expect border control in Denmark, even in non-pandemic situations. But now during Covid 19 also Germany introduced border controls. If you travel, be aware of the different rules in different countries. Even though it is the European Union, each state manages the pandemic in a different way and you have to be aware which rules apply. For example, while it has been voluntary in Sweden to wear a mask in public transport until recently, it is mandatory in Denmark and Germany. Also, the rules change constantly, and depending if the country you travel from is a high-risk area, you might need to quarantine. Generally, you are always allowed to travel to your country of origin or to the country you live in (Sweden). In contrast, traveling to other countries is problematic or not possible at the moment.
When I traveled this summer to Germany, I could bring a negative test from Sweden and I didn’t have to quarantine. In contrast, this December, I had to fill out an online formula with the direction I traveled to. Once I arrived I had to quarantine for 5 days and then do a negative Covid 19 test, or alternatively quarantine for 10 days. In both cases, I did not experience any problems in Denmark as I only transit it. Right now I am in a lockdown in Germany, but I am safe and I will be able to travel back to Sweden in January.
I hope I could give you a bit of insight into the traveling experience by train at the moment. Stay safe!
I wish you all a good start into the new year 2021!
Katharina
