Harvest assistants will soon be able to return to Germany. Julia Kleckner, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, and Horst Seehofer, Federal Minister of the Interior, introduced today a general concept that provides for the exclusion of existing restrictions on the entry of seasonal workers.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) last week banned the entry of seasonal workers, which should now be relaxed.

According to the press release, the ministers agreed on the following requirements for the entry of seasonal workers:

1. In April and May, up to 40,000 seasonal workers can enter the country. They are selected based on feedback from the profession and obvious stringent hygiene standards.
2. Foreign seasonal workers must arrive by plane (no hour bus trips in Europe for reasons of protection against infections).
3. Upon entry, medical personnel conduct a health check in accordance with the standard procedure. Results must be sent to your local health department.

The oldest worker lived in New Jersey. At 100, he always appeared at the workplace, despite the fact that he was already retired.

4. New arrivals must live and work strictly separately from other employees during the first 14 days and must not leave the company premises (actual quarantine with simultaneous employment opportunities).
5. If there is reason to suspect that the worker is infected with coronavirus, isolate him immediately and consult a doctor to check for the presence of the virus. In addition, the entire team must be isolated.

• Shortages of labor for the next agricultural season are a serious problem for many countries in Western Europe, given the inability to host foreign seasonal workers due to mobility restrictions and measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.
• After stopping entry for residents of Eastern Europe, the situation with seasonal business has deteriorated sharply.
• Berlin. In the fight against the spread of the pandemic in Germany, the federal Ministry of the Interior ordered the ban on seasonal workers.