GEORGE TOWN: A family trip to observe Ramadan with their younger brother who is studying in Dusseldorf, Germany, turned into a nightmare for two brothers when they were not allowed to enter the country.

       Despite being fully vaccinated with the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine and receiving Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots, the two brothers were not allowed in by German authorities.

       They had accompanied their parents there from Kuala Terengganu.

       When the brothers returned to KL International Airport (KLIA) on Tuesday (March 22), they expressed their gratitude for being able to return home after spending 15 hours on two different flights.

       One brother, who wanted to be known only as Fariq, 30, said they felt that something was not right when they arrived in Germany.

       He said the family had arrived on March 19 to visit their youngest brother who is pursuing a master's degree at a university there.

       Despite adhering to all strict screening protocols set by the travel agencies and Turkish Airlines, they were not allowed to enter Germany, with their Sinovac vaccination given as the reason.

       Fariq hoped that the story of their bitter experience of allegedly being treated like criminals by the German Immigration authorities would be a lesson to travellers to check if the vaccine they had received was acceptable in their destination countries.

       Germany currently offers only five vaccines to its citizens: Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Novavax and AstraZeneca.