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Germany not ruling out French border checks over coronavirus

Germany said on Monday it would not rule out expanding new travel controls to its French border due to Covid-19 variants surging in the Moselle region. Paris, however, urged against border closures.

Published: 15 February 2021 13:32 CET
Germany not ruling out French border checks over coronavirus
A French border crossing in Breisach, Baden-Württemberg. Photo: DPA

Asked about the situation in France, Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said Berlin was “continuing to monitor the situation and continually reviewing our measures to fight the pandemic”.

He added that border closures were “not normal” and a “last resort”, but said Germany was “in a situation where we need to do everything to prevent more aggressive mutations of the virus spreading as quickly in Germany as they have elsewhere”.

Seibert's comments came hours after French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune urged Germany not to close its borders with France.

“We do not want Germany to shut the border completely,” said Beaune after Berlin introduced tough checks at its borders with Austria and the Czech Republic over the weekend.

READ ALSO: Germany imposes controls on Czech and Austrian borders

“We will do everything to avoid an uncoordinated decision and a nasty surprise,” Beaune said.

He added that any closures should be introduced in coordination with France and include as “wide-reaching exceptions as possible” in order to protect cross-border workers.

Germany partially closed its borders with the Czech Republic and Austria's Tyrol on Sunday over a troubling surge in coronavirus mutations, defying condemnation from the European Union.

Under the new rules, only Germans or non-German residents are allowed through.

Exceptions are made for essential workers in sectors such as health and transport, as well as for urgent humanitarian reasons, according to the German interior ministry.

Everyone must be able to provide a recent negative coronavirus test.

The checks led to long traffic jams at border crossings on Monday morning, with some drivers having to wait several hours.

A surge in cases of the South African and Brazilian variants of the coronavirus in eastern French regions such as Moselle has prompted speculation that similar checks may be introduced on the French-German border.

The European Union condemned Germany's curbs, with EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders tweeting that the European Commission was “concerned about recent unilateral decisions” on travel.

France's Beaune also bemoaned the “lack of a discussion” between Berlin and the European Commission over the checks.

Yet a spokesman for the German interior ministry insisted Monday that the German policy combined “European thinking with local needs”.

READ ALSO: How European countries have changed after a year of coronavirus crisis

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WEATHER

Forecast: Where in France will see the worst of the icy weather?

Temperatures are expected to plunge below zero across France from this weekend. Here’s what to expect.

Published: 5 January 2024 10:47 CET
Forecast: Where in France will see the worst of the icy weather?

Starting this weekend, the wet and mild weather that soaked much of France over the Christmas and New Year holiday period is expected to be replaced by a freeze that could last for several days, with temperatures predicted to fall below zero in much of the country.

For the first time since February 2018, France’s national heat indicator – the national average of daytime and night-time temperatures – could dip below zero on Tuesday.

On Saturday, the north-east is forecast to have its first local frosts of 2024, as cold air from the north and east spreads over the country.

Temperatures in northern France are not expected to get above 8C, while the south could see the mercury rise to 11C.

Starting on Sunday, the north-eastern quarter will likely see more serious frosts, with daily temperatures close to 0C in the Paris region; and no higher than 1C in Strasbourg, Clermont-Ferrand and Lille; and 2C in Rennes. Elsewhere, a high of 9C is forecast in Marseille, and 8C in Bordeaux. 

READ ALSO ‘It’s duck cold!’: How the French complain about winter weather

In the south, however, strong chilly winds will make it feel much colder, notably in the Rhône Valley and around the Pyrénées-Orientales.

Cold air is expected settle over most of France from Monday. Morning frosts are forecast in most areas, while temperatures are likely to fall as low as -5C from the Massif Central to the eastern borders for a good part of the week. Some forecasts predict local temperatures as low as -10C.

At the start of the week, maximum temperatures will struggle to pass 0C in the eastern half of the country, as far north as the Ile de France, according to national forecaster Météo-France. In fact, only the coastal north-west, south-west, and around the Mediterranean are predicted to see daytime temperatures rise noticeably above freezing – though the wind chill may make it feel much colder.

As of Friday, Météo-France, however, had not yet designated the upcoming cold period as a cold snap (vague de froid), which has a very specific definition.

For a cold snap to be declared, France must experience three consecutive days in which temperatures dip below -2C, and rise no higher than 0.9C. It officially ends when temperatures rise above 2.2C.

READ ALSO IN PICTURES: You think it’s cold in Paris now but look how chilly it got in days gone by

Cold snaps can also be characterised on a regional scale when cold spells last at least two days and temperatures are well below seasonal normals for the region concerned.

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