Sylt just wants to allow clearances with a PCR test

This popular German North Sea holiday island will only allow summer vacation with PCR testing.

Just yesterday, the state government of Schleswig-Holstein announced that tourism should be possible in the state during the Easter holidays. Furthermore, we urge to refrain from traveling without good reason – hotels remain largely closed. Now the mayor of Sylt Island has caused an uproar and announced that he would like to enable clearance with PCR tests and entry controls by the Federal Police, This was reported by rnd.de, among others.

Leaves in Sylt should be possible by PCR test

Iceland in Europe and New Zealand in the Pacific are prime examples of how to deal with the global Corona pandemic. The number of infections remains low, if any new infections are recorded. At the same time, many warn that the major advantage of the two countries is the location of their island. Entry is only possible through a few hubs such as airports or seaports. Entry requirements can be consistently implemented and contacts can be tracked easily. In Iceland, people are already thinking of easing the admission requirements. Meanwhile, confidence remains dim in Germany. This is why the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein dares to go it alone and rejects the possibility of spending the Easter holidays in the state – under strict conditions.

The mayor of the famous North Sea island of Sylt, Nicholas Hackle, would like to build on that and demand that entry be possible with a mandatory PCR test or a rapid test. The mayor declared himself in Lübecker Nachrichten. The aim is to revitalize tourism again and at the same time prevent a second lockdown on Sylt.

Entrance control by the Federal Police

Like Iceland and New Zealand, Sylt also has a few transportation hubs, including an airport. Entry to these intersections must be controlled by the Federal Police. A similar legal basis is currently being developed and verified by the government of Schleswig-Holstein and the North Friesland region. There is currently no legal basis for such border controls in your country. In addition to special police tasks such as aviation security, the Federal Police is also responsible for border protection. Since it is a federal authority under the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the area of ​​responsibility is concentrated on the external borders of Germany.

If a corresponding legal basis is not established, the airlines and hoteliers must bear the liability. The corresponding COVID-19 test results should then be verified upon check-in at the airport or at the hotel at the latest. In addition, the contacts of individual vacationers on the island will be tracked using an application.

Several airlines have already included Sylt in their summer flight schedule network in advance. Just yesterday, regional airline Rhein-Neckar-Air announced that it will resume its popular route to Sylt in the summer. Additionally, Sylt airport was regularly frequented by Lufthansa, Switzerland, Eurowings and Condor in the summer months.

Conclusion on plans to enter Sylt

The efforts of Schleswig-Holstein politicians, and in this case the local political level of the North Friesland region to enable tourism in the state and on Sylt, provide some confidence. It is clear that in the near future there is no getting around to a corresponding test strategy. It is also possible to visualize the use of the EU vaccination permit within the country. It can also store appropriate documents and certificates about vaccinations, tests or remaining infections. However, I find efforts to use the Federal Police to monitor internal borders into question.