Starting signal for summer vacation abroad: The lifting of the travel warning for most of Europe from mid-June is certain. However, there is a delay for two countries - among them, of all places, the number one holiday destination for Germans.
Berlin (dpa) - The federal government has decided to lift the global travel warning for 29 European countries from June 15. The Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after a cabinet meeting in Berlin.
Since entry restrictions due to the corona pandemic still apply in Norway and Spain beyond June 15, the lifting of the travel warning is delayed for these two countries. Maas said, however, that he expected Spain to lift the entry ban on June 21. Immediately afterwards, the travel warning would also be lifted for this number one holiday country in Germany.
Maas issued the travel warning for tourists on March 17 after the outbreak of the corona pandemic for all 200 countries in the world - an unprecedented step. So far, only when there is a danger to life and limb, for example in war zones, has warned against travel.
The Cabinet's decision to remove the travel warning only states that the travel warning should be lifted. Maas made it clear to journalists that this was the government's final decision. "We decided today that the travel warning for the aforementioned group of countries will not continue." The travel warning is now to be replaced by individual travel advice. It then provides information about the country-specific risks.
The travel warning for Germany's 26 partner countries in the European Union, the United Kingdom that has just left the EU and the four countries in the Schengen area that are not subject to border controls that are not members of the EU are to be lifted: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The Federal Government makes it clear in the key point paper that travel warnings for certain countries or regions can be reactivated if the number of new infections increases drastically again. In doing so, it intends to use the upper limit of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany within seven days.
If this is exceeded, the Federal Government reserves the "protective measures". "This can include, for example, country or region-specific travel warnings," the paper says. This also applies in the event that individual countries do not take the necessary measures to protect against infection in the tourism business sufficiently. The basis will be the guidelines drawn up by the EU Commission.
The return campaign for 240,000 German tourists after the outbreak of the corona pandemic should definitely not be repeated. "A pickup of German citizens by the federal government during a quarantine that may be imposed abroad remains excluded," the paper said.
The federal government has not yet decided how it wants to deal with countries outside the EU.
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