The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), a German federal government agency responsible for disease control and prevention, published new guidance based on developments concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, announcing that Germans who have recovered from coronavirus will have immunity status for a period of only 90 days.
The old rules stated that prior infection could be used as proof of immunity for 180 days.
Proof of prior infection must be provided using nucleic acid detection or a PCR test. Anyone who can show a positive PCR test result that is at least 28 days old is considered recovered.
The measures came into force on Saturday. By comparison, in Switzerland, the period for which someone can claim immunity following COVID-19 infection is currently 365 days from the test results.
Germany is facing a new wave of infection driven by the more contagious Omicron variant.
The seven-day incidence rate given by the Robert Koch Institute on Sunday was 515.7 infections per 100,000 people.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is a German federal government agency and research institute responsible for disease control and prevention.
It is located in Berlin and Wernigerode. As an upper federal agency, it is subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Health.
It was founded in 1891 and is named for its founding director, the founder of modern bacteriology and Nobel laureate Robert Koch.
