Passengers arriving from SA react to quarantine policies

Passengers were allowed to leave the airport after undergoing regular controls and were asked to go into isolation, one passenger said.

"It is all a bit strange. My colleague here was told to go into quarantine, I was told by the police that it is only mandatory as from midnight tonight. Quarantine is recommended, and "recommended" to me means that it is not mandatory. So, I won't do it," J. Ratschenko told Reuters upon arrival.

"I personally have arranged everything to go into quarantine even if it isn't mandatory yet," said Markus Thul.

Asked whether they were afraid of the new coronavirus variant Omicron coming from South Africa, most passengers said they weren't, arguing that they were vaccinated and had taken tests before their return trip.

Earlier on Saturday, health officials announced that two cases of the new variant had been detected in the southern German state of Bavaria and a suspected case was found in the west of the country.