The implementation of new quarantine rules in Germany beginning last week highlight the need for a common approach to quarantine regulations in the EU for crew members involved in international air cargo operations.
During the 30 September 2020 video conference of EU Health Ministers, Commissioner Kyriakides identified a missing consistency of quarantine rules applied by the EU member states. The Commissioner explained in the same meeting that a European approach on quarantines should be the goal and that the Commission would present such an approach in the near future.
As many of our members are commuting from other countries to Luxembourg and back to their country of residence, common European rules providing us with exemptions are a necessity for us. We raised the issue with Luxembourg’s Ministry of Health, the Transport Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, pointing out the urgent need for clear rules.
In the meantime Germany implemented new rules. Unfortunately, due to the federal structure of the country, this resulted in 16 different ones. While Germany is only one country where many of our members reside, those residing in other countries might be affected by quarantine rules as well.
Based on what is presently available we compiled a list available here, containing this information to the best of our knowledge for the countries where the majority of our members reside. If your country of residence is not listed, we recommend that you do your own research. In any case it will be the responsibility of the individual pilot to be aware about the applicable regulations and decide whether an exemption is applicable for your individual situation. We will try to keep this list up to date, as the situation will most likely remain dynamic in the weeks and possible months ahead.
As some regulations require quarantine or self-isolation, local health authorities may not always issue individual quarantine orders or sick leave certificates. If this should be the case, we recommend that you get in touch with either your personal physician or as published in the Chief Pilot’s Office update dated 17 November 2020 with Dr. Liethen in order to obtain a sick leave certificate and forward the same to the company.
