Germans here excited about reuniting with family and friends

Ms Tanja Jesemann used to fly to Germany three to four times a year. That came to an abrupt halt when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, separating her from her two children and elderly mother in Munich.

Like many Germans who have not been able to return home for more than a year, she felt a huge sense of relief when the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme was announced last Thursday.

"(Being separated) can be a struggle. We have been connecting online but it's not the same," said Ms Jesemann, the general manager of Paulaner Brauhaus Singapore, a German microbrewery and restaurant.

Under the new scheme from Sept 8, fully vaccinated passengers from Germany and Brunei can enter Singapore without serving a stay-home notice. They will instead undergo polymerase chain reaction tests at various points, including one before the flight here.

Ms Jesemann, 50, who has been living here with her husband for about four years, said she plans to apply for the VTL as soon as applications open on Sept 1, for a business trip to Germany and to visit her family. She said: "I'm so excited. It feels like we're going back to normal."

For Ms Sabina Bauer, the pandemic meant she could not return to Germany in March last year for her father's funeral after he died of pancreatic cancer.

The 46-year-old German has lived here with her husband and two children for 12 years. Before Covid-19, the family would travel to Germany at least once a year, and their family there also flew here regularly.

"We decided safety was the highest priority... We would never split the family nor travel separately during the pandemic," she said. "We have been waiting patiently to be able to travel to Germany again as a family, in a safe manner, and most importantly, to be able to come back again to our home here."

Ms Bauer said she is making plans for her in-laws to come to Singapore for a much longed-for reunion.

While many in the German community here are excited about the news, some are more cautious.

Ms Anne-Sophie Helms, 48, who has been living here for six years with her family, has cancelled trips to Germany three times since March last year, for reasons involving safety and quarantines.

Ms Helms, head of finance and administration at Goethe-Institut Singapore, the cultural institute of Germany here, said she may make plans only from October, as she wants to see how the VTL pans out.

"My only concern is that this decision may be revised, and that due to a change of conditions while I am travelling, I might be prohibited from re-entering Singapore."

Germany is experiencing a fourth wave of infections driven by the contagious Delta variant.

Ms Lisa Wlaschek, 29, a project manager here, said: "My father is really excited to come and visit, but for now we will wait and see... It's hard to say what is going to happen and how things will change with more foreigners coming in."