Germany on Friday announced its plans to curb incoming travel from a handful of countries, including Britain and Ireland, in an effort to curb the spread of infectious coronavirus variants, beyond the measures recommended by the European Union.
“It’s about stopping the entry of a highly contagious virus,” German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Thursday, a day before the federal cabinet approved the restrictions.
Under the new travel ban – which also applies to passengers from Portugal, Brazil, South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) – German residents can return, but non-German residents from the affected areas can be denied entry, even with a negative coronavirus test.
Although several known infectious variants were found in Germany, including the B.1.1.7 variant in a hospital in Berlin, which then had to close, the health authorities believe that they can still prevent variants from spreading and causing new infections.
The changes will take effect over the weekend and will take effect until at least February 17th. This follows a temporary cessation of travel for all passengers arriving from the United Kingdom and South Africa, which was lifted a few days after it was launched. . All unimportant journeys remain discouraged.
The new rules also prohibit transport companies – airlines, train and bus carriers and ferry services – from bringing almost all non-residents to Germany. Exceptions will be made for health workers or those who have to travel for urgent humanitarian reasons.
After more than six weeks of strict closure – during which restaurants, bars, non-essential shops and most schools were closed – Germany is starting to improve slightly in its daily business numbers. On Thursday, health authorities reported 14,022 infections in a 24-hour period, nearly 4,000 fewer than the amount registered one week earlier.