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Czech Republic reopens border with Germany Friday

After being closed for nearly three months, the Czech Republic will be opening its border to tourists from Germany, Austria and Hungary.

Published: 5 June 2020 09:40 CEST
Czech Republic reopens border with Germany Friday
Czech police stand at the border between Zinnwald, Saxony and the Czech Republic shortly after the border was closed on March 14th. Photo: DPA

The official opening goes into effect Friday at noon, reported public broadcaster MDR. Currently bollards and other barriers are being removed, and a negative coronavirus test no longer needs to be submitted.

Originally the border was to open up again on June 15th. However, Prime Minister Andrej Babis announced on Thursday that he wanted to bring the opening forward. 

READ ALSO: Czech Republic bans travellers from 15 countries including Germany and France

“We must return to normality,” the Czech head of government said on public television, adding that it would be good if tourists spent money in his country again.

Germans are the top foreign travellers to the Czech Republic, and accounted for over two million overnight visits in 2019, reported local media.

Saxony’s Interior Minister Roland Wöller declared the reopening to be an important step both for the residents of his state – which borders the central European country of around 11 million people – and for inhabitants of the Czech Republic themselves. 

With the freedom to travel, economic and social coexistence will return to normal, he said.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Czech Republic imposed a comprehensive ban on foreigners entering the country in mid-March. The border with Slovakia had already been opened on Thursday.

Starting June 15th, the government in Prague will introduce a graduated “traffic light model” for other countries, which will divide them into risk groups. 

While citizens from “green” countries such as Germany and Switzerland will be given the go-ahead for unrestricted travel, travellers from France, Italy and Spain will have to present a negative laboratory test for the coronavirus on entry.

On Tuesday German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that Germany would repeal its travel warning for 31 countries in Europe as of June 15th.

READ ALSO: Germany to lift travel warning for EU countries from mid-June

Vocabulary

Bollard – (der) Poller

The border opening – (die) Grenzöffnung 

Coexistence – (das) Zusammenleben 

Traffic light model – (das) Ampelmodell

We're aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.

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TRAVEL

Coronavirus: Sweden extends travel ban from Denmark

Sweden on Sunday announced an extension to the travel ban from Denmark until February 14th, over concerns of the new variant of coronavirus spreading.

Published: 24 January 2021 15:49 CET
Coronavirus: Sweden extends travel ban from Denmark
Illustration photo of Copenhagen airport. Photo: Liselotte Sabroe / Ritzau Scanpix

The extension to the travel ban was confirmed at a digital press conference on Sunday January 24th, when the Swedish government announced a new travel ban on entry from Norway. The entry ban from the United Kingdom was also extended until February 14th.

On Saturday January 23rd, the Norwegian government introduced a series of very strict restrictions in Oslo and nine more municipalities due to an outbreak of the more contagious B117 coronavirus variant, first identified in Britain.

The British virus mutation already exists in Sweden. So far, about 50 cases have been confirmed, the vast majority of them are linked to people who have been abroad, according to the Swedish Public Health Agency.

“The ban applies from midnight until February 14th and can be extended if necessary”, Interior Minister Mikael Damberg said at the digital press conference on Sunday afternoon.

READ MORE: COVID UPDATE: Sweden bans travel entry from Norway

In December, the Swedish government announced a ban on travel into Sweden from both the UK and Denmark, due to the new coronavirus variant in the countries. The ban was initially due to last a month.

It was the first time during the pandemic that the Scandinavian country closed the border on one of its neighbours. 

Swedish citizens are exempt from the entry ban, as are non-citizens who live or work in Sweden, and people working in the transportation of goods.
 
The B117 coronavirus variant has previously been estimated to be between 50-74 percent more infectious than established forms of Covid-19.

It is expected to comprise 50 percent of all Covid-19 variants in circulation in Denmark by the middle of February, according to a new report issued by the State Serum Institute (SSI).

It has been traced to have first appeared in Denmark in November, but was reported to have become established in the south east of England in December.

READ ALSO: How could infectious Covid-19 variant impact Denmark's infection numbers?

 

 

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