in-cyprus 16 May 2020 -Bouli Hadjioannou
Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will hold consultations with counterparts from countries popular with German tourists on how to gradually relax Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Taking part in Monday’s teleconference are Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, Croatia, Portugal, Malta, Slovenia, Cyprus and Bulgaria.
The aim is to forge a coordinated approach to opening borders to tourists, CNA reports.
Germany currently has an official travel warning against any foreign holidays until June 14.
CNA says the country is planning to ease this advisory, starting with European countries, provided there is no upset in the fight against coronavirus.
Germany has announced plans for reopening its borders. Borders will be reopened in a staggered manner, on a country-by-country basis.
Deutsche Welle reports that the first measures start on Saturday. The next wave will start on June 15.
What is the current situation?
Germany closed almost all its borders on March 16 and has only been allowing entry for people with a valid reason to travel, such as truck drivers, cross-border commuters and medical professionals. This non-exhaustive list may be expanded soon.
What is happening on Saturday?
The border with Luxembourg will be completely opened on Saturday. No more restrictions will apply to travel to and from Luxembourg. The borders with France, Austria and Switzerland will have reduced controls.
What is happening on June 15
The German government is pursuing “free travel in Europe” by mid-June.
Germany’s borders to France, Austria and Switzerland will be completely opened. No restrictions will apply. Entry from other countries may be allowed, but that has not been entirely decided yet.
The borders with Belgium and the Netherlands are effectively already open right now, due to state government rules. Spot checks are only being carried out away from urban centres. It is unclear if these will continue.
