According to the current Corona Entry Regulation North Rhine-Westphalia (CoronaEinrVO), individuals entering NRW or those returning to the state from a risk area (apart from a few regulated exceptions, such as students entering the state to take or prepare for exams related to their training or studies) have to undergo a 14-day quarantine at home and contact the local public health department immediately. Only individuals who can present a negative test result may be exempted from this quarantine order.
At the instigation of the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs (MAGS), centers for testing SARS-CoV-2 have been set up at airports in Dusseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Dortmund, and Münster/Osnabrück.
Individuals entering from countries that the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) classifies as risk areas on the day of arrival can use this testing facility free of charge. Tests can also be carried out free of charge in other test centers or at a family physician – this applies exclusively to those entering by land – that have signed the corresponding framework agreement between MAGS, Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, and the German Cities and County Association. This arrangement is in place until August 16, 2020.
The RKI, in cooperation with other authorities, regularly carries out risk assessments in order to identify the countries with a particularly high risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2. A continuously updated list is published here.