The current entry bans at Germany's borders due to the Coronavirus crisis do not apply to asylum seekers.

Berlin

The Federal Ministry of the Interior told Berlin weekly Junge Freiheit that here are exceptions for goods traffic and commuters… and for asylum seekers.

Germany has been manning its borders with France, Switzerland and Luxembourg since the beginning of the week. No other EU member can enter the country without good reason, but asylum seekers are still welcome.

This means that if a migrant travels to France or Switzerland via Italy, for example, and reaches the German border, he only needs to apply for asylum and is allowed to go to Germany to start the procedure.

French or Italians, on the other hand, who have no permanent residence in Germany or work there, are rejected at the border and returned. This was confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior when asked by the JF.

“At the German EU external borders (airports and seaports) there has been no change in the previous procedure. This also applies to the internal Schengen borders,” she said when asked whether asylum seekers were still admitted to Germany.

While the basic freedom of movement of people is restricted or even suspended for EU citizens, non-EU foreigners are still allowed to travel around unhindered, even if they spread the Coronavirus. The word “asylum” is seemingly some kind of antidote to the virus as far as the government is concerned.