Healthcare workers are now the only Czech commuters permitted to enter Germany

Among Czech commuters who regularly travel to Germany, only healthcare personnel will be permitted entry as of Sunday, the German Federal Interior Ministry said today.

Saxony announced on Friday that along with the health staff, agricultural workers would also be allowed entry. Bavaria has not yet granted any exemptions.

Starting on Sunday, Germany will consider the Czech Republic an area with a high incidence of coronavirus mutations.

The Bavarian television station BR said along with health personnel, agricultural workers would also be able to travel to Germany. However, Bavaria has not yet announced this exemption.

Given the autonomy of German federal states, some further exemptions may be granted.

The German Federal Interior Ministry has not elaborated on the exemptions, only saying that in the days to come more modifications can be expected.

The tightened lockdown will impact tens of thousands of Czech cross-border workers.

The German labor agency BA stated in its last statistical report from June 2020 that there were 33,800 Czechs commuters working in Germany. 22,000 of them were working in Bavaria, 8,900 in Saxony, and the rest in other federal states.

Only a small fraction, 1,500 people, worked in the healthcare industry.