Mutations: Merkel government tightened entry rules - Germany gives the Czech Republic thousands of vaccine doses

Politics is reacting to the spreading corona mutants.

One is added to the 13 virus variant areas.

The Czech Republic is also supported with vaccines.

• Particularly contagious Corona variants are spreading rapidly from Europe.

• The federal government is now tightening the entry rules on the border with France.

• The Czech Republic, the most severely affected country in the EU, is also to be supported with 150,000 vaccine doses on Monday

  (update from February 28, 4:09 p.m.)

  .

Update from March 1, 6.41 a.m.:

According to the RKI, the 7-day incidence has increased to 65.8 in Germany.

It has now increased for the fourth day in a row.

4732 new corona infections were reported within 24 hours, as well as 60 further deaths in connection with an infection.

Since not all health authorities transmit data on the weekend, the number of cases on Sundays and Mondays is usually lower than on other days of the week.

The current goal of the federal and state governments is to reduce the 7-day incidence to a value below 35.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the country leaders want to discuss how to proceed.

Corona: Germany supports virus variant area of ​​the Czech Republic with vaccine doses

Update from February 28, 4:09 p.m.:

The Czech Republic is also one of the so-called virus variant areas.

In order to prevent the highly contagious mutations from spreading to Germany, the federal government tightened the entry restrictions here as well.

Saxony, Bavaria and Thuringia are now also campaigning for support for the neighboring country.

As Saxony's government spokesman Ralph Schreiber announced on Sunday, the neighboring federal states are planning a supporting delivery of a total of

15,000 vaccine doses

.

The delivery is planned for Monday and the Czech government will then decide on the distribution of the corona vaccine.

Thuringia's Minister of Health Heike Werner (Linke) announced, according to the dpa, that the Free State would provide several thousand doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The cans are safety reserves that have been created in the event of delivery failures.

"In view of the tragedy, I think there is no alternative to this aid measure," emphasized Werner on Sunday.

With

1.2 million

corona infections per 10.7 million inhabitants

since the beginning

, the Czech Republic is the EU country most affected by the pandemic.

First report from February 28th:

Berlin - From Tuesday (March 2nd) stricter entry restrictions to Germany will apply.

According to the RKI *, the federal government has declared the French department of Moselle to be a virus variant area.

It borders on Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate *.

Regions or countries in which more contagious mutants of the coronavirus occur particularly frequently are classified as virus variant areas.

From the affected areas only:

• Germans and foreigners with residence and residence permit in Germany.

• There are exceptions for commuters and the movement of goods.

In mid-February, areas with a land border with Germany, including the Czech Republic and Tyrol in Austria *, were classified as virus variant areas for the first time.

The list also includes many other countries, such as Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal, South Africa and Brazil.

+

Controls of people entering the corona pandemic (archive picture): The list of virus variant areas has been expanded.

© Boris Roessler / dpa

What do travelers from the Moselle department (around one million inhabitants) now have to consider?

• Have a negative corona test * that is not older than 48 hours.

• A quick test is sufficient.

• Airlines as well as bus and train companies are no longer allowed to carry passengers from Moselle to Germany.

Reaction to stricter border controls due to Corona mutants: "Brutal" and "one-sided"

According to

dpa

information, there should not be

stationary border controls at the border with France

.

"In all these considerations, border controls are not up for discussion until the hour," Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU *) had already assured on Friday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel * (CDU *) had previously made a similar statement.

France's * Europe State Secretary Clément Beaune said he regretted the decision.

The measures to combat the virus have been tightened in Moselle.

The President of the Grand Est region (to which Moselle belongs), Jean Rottner, called the decision in the channel

France Info

"brutal" and "one-sided".

According to Prime Minister Jean Castex, 60 percent of the Corona cases in Moselle are the South African variant.

In agreement with the German side, France had already tightened its entry rules into the Moselle region last week.

Only cross-border commuters who come for work are exempt from a test.

In general, everyone who enters France needs a negative corona test that is not older than 72 hours.

(dpa / AFP / frs)

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