The word “quarantine” means the isolation of people, animals or plants for a limited period of time when there is a chance that they may be infected with certain diseases or could transmit pathogens. This includes people who have had contact with someone infected with SARS-CoV-2. In Germany, the infection protection law (IfSG) provides the legal basis for quarantine. Where the infected people themselves are concerned, the world is “isolation” and not “quarantine”.

Quarantine is intended to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. In Germany, local health authorities decide whether to prescribe quarantine in accordance with this law.

Quarantine means that the person in question must stay at home for a certain period of time and cannot receive any visitors during that time. They are not allowed to have any form of contact with other people.

The length of time that infected people have to spend isolating and the time that close contacts have to spend in quarantine can be different in different parts of Germany and have been changed several times during the pandemic. Please check on the current rules in your particular federal state.

More information about isolation and quarantine can be found at infektionsschutz.de (website of BZgA, the Federal Centre for Health Education), and at the Federal Health Ministry’s website Zusammen gegen Corona.

Further information about the law on infection protection is available from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

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