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Finally traveling again: Merkel's government worried about her own decision? Spahn warns of "Ballermann"

2020-06-15T14:57:56.995Z


The federal government has lifted the travel warnings - but apparently not all ministers are in the decision. Was the concession to the travel lobby too big?


The federal government has lifted the travel warnings - but apparently not all ministers are in the decision. Was the concession to the travel lobby too big?

  • From June 15, the Corona travel warning will be a thing of the past for large parts of Europe. German border controls have also been lifted.
  • However, the federal government does not seem to be quite comfortable with its decision. Several ministers warn.
  • Nevertheless, some tour operators are already reporting “catch-up effects”.

Berlin / Munich - From Monday (June 15th) you can officially travel again: Above all, the federal government has lifted the travel warnings for Europe - and the German borders can be crossed again without controls.

This is a piece of the long-missing "normality" back. Many tour operators should also breathe a sigh of relief. But piquantly, top German politicians do not seem to be quite comfortable with this far-reaching decision. Last but not least, there are obviously major concerns in the government - several ministers are now calling for personal responsibility. First voices warn that the decision to travel may have been strongly driven by the travel lobby .

Chancellery Minister Helge Braun (CDU), for example, warned at the weekend of the risk of infection from the upcoming travel season. "If vacation returnees from a hotspot were spread all over Germany and we could not recognize the chains of infection: Then we very quickly come back into a situation in which we would have to take nationwide measures," said the CDU politician of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung . However, it is the "top priority" of the government that something like this does not happen again. He is now hoping for the new Corona app.

Travel in the Corona crisis: Spahn warns - "Party is less popular"

Health Minister Jens Spahn  has asked the Germans to exercise caution when traveling, despite lifting the travel warning for 27 European countries. Everyone has to think about whether it should now be a long trip, the CDU politician said on Sunday evening in the "Report from Berlin" of the ARD

"Do I have to go to Lisbon now, or maybe it can wait a little longer?" Asked Spahn. He referred to Ischgl in Austria, from where the virus spread throughout Europe in winter. "Now the Ballermann must not be  the next Ischgl, so to speak." Spahn added: "Celebrating a party - I would say - is less popular this year."

Limits open: travel is possible again - Lauterbach warns of "super spreaders" on the bus

And the SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach once again spoke up with a warning. He would "not sit on a bus that is fully occupied for many hours," Lauterbach tweeted on Sunday. "There are no studies that show what a super spreader would cause there." In any case, masks would have to be worn.

The mixed situation leads to some suspicion among some observers. Austrian journalist Thomas Mayer about tweeted, referring to Braun's warning : "Governments should citizens probably say., Waived year on overly extensive leisure travel, Corona is not over, fit to remain in manageable range '' But that trust is due to the pressure of the economy nobody.

Governments would probably have to say to citizens: "Don't go on long holiday trips this year, Corona isn't over, be careful, stay manageable." Nobody dares due to economic pressure. German State Secretary warns of risks. https://t.co/cYjYITTCEk

- Thomas Mayer (@TomMayerEuropa) June 14, 2020

Mayer also admitted under his posting that it was a "dilemma". But it is clear that mass tourism tends to favor a second wave.

Travel in Corona times: exercise caution? Tour operator already sees "catch-up effect"

It remains to be seen whether the Germans will actually exercise great caution. The tour operator Tui currently sees a catch-up effect . “The first package tours to Mallorca from Monday were sold out within 36 hours. In addition to the Spanish islands, Greece, Croatia and Portugal are in demand. Cyprus is also at the top for the first time, ”said the travel group on Sunday.

Also DER Touristik reported a significant rise in bookings for the summer abroad. There is higher demand for Greece , Turkey, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, as well as Tunisia and the Indian Ocean .

After the opening of the border, Deutsche Bahn also wants to gradually increase its range of connections abroad. By the end of June, international long-distance traffic to all reachable countries would be resumed, DB long-distance traffic chief Michael Peterson announced on Sunday. Some routes abroad had already been served in the past few weeks.

Vacation despite Corona: borders open again - recently almost 200,000 rejections, according to Seehofer

After three months, the worldwide travel warning for tourists will be lifted on Monday for most of Europe. As of midnight, the Federal Foreign Office no longer wants to warn of travel to 27 countries on its website. These include the main holiday destinations for Germans such as Italy, Austria, Greece, France and Croatia . At the same time, the last remaining controls due to the corona pandemic at the German borders will cease on Monday.

In the corona-related controls at the borders *, the Federal Police had issued around 196,000 rejections by June 11. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer called this number the picture on Sunday .

Possibly also a clarification that will prevent some Germans from traveling too far: According to the Federal Foreign Office, there will be no return campaign for 240,000 tourists , such as after the outbreak of the corona pandemic . The travelers concerned will soon receive their invoices. "The participants will be informed individually about the share of costs to be borne in the coming days and weeks," said the Foreign Office in Berlin on Saturday. The ARD capital studio had previously reported on the topic.

Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) wants to travel in the summer - but within Germany. Some recreation areas in Germany could be relieved about the new “freedom of travel”. In Upper Bavaria, for example, some areas had recently been hopelessly overrun, as Merkur.de * reported.

dpa / fn

* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-06-15

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