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Merkel calls on Germans to avoid travel to coronavirus risk zones

Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on people in Germany to avoid journeys to areas deemed coronavirus high risk.

Merkel calls on Germans to avoid travel to coronavirus risk zones
Angela Merkel and Markus Söder on Thursday. Photo: DPA

Merkel spoke out after a meeting between the federal and state governments on Thursday.

The federal and state leaders spent more than five hours discussing how to tighten coronavirus measures in the face of rising infection rates.

The new regulations agreed on include a minimum fine of €50 for anyone caught without a face mask in places where wearing one is compulsory, such as in shops and on public transport.

Germany also plans to extend a ban on large events from the end of October until December 31st. It will apply to everything from festivals and concerts to large sporting events with spectators.

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The corona pandemic is a “challenge”, Merkel said after the conference held online. So far, Germany has “come through the pandemic well”, she added.

However, the increase in infections over the summer months was being taken very seriously. “Additional loosening of restrictions cannot be justified,” said Merkel.

She cited private parties and increased holiday-related travel as the reasons for increased infection rates.

“Corona is fully back in Germany,” said Bavarian state premier Markus Söder at the press conference. 

“The numbers are going up too high too soon,” he said, adding that Germany had to prevent a “second lockdown”.

Merkel warns against travel to risk areas

Merkel explained that many of the cases were linked to people returning from risk areas. She warned against people in Germany taking non-essential trips to areas classed as high risk, such as the US and India.

“We have decided today, and this is new, to call for travel to designated risk areas to be avoided wherever possible,” Merkel said.

For months now, people returning from high-risk areas have had to quarantine after travel.

The federal and state governments appealed for people to comply with the quarantine obligations. Checks by local authorities will be stepped up and fines will be imposed if people are caught flouting rules.

“Those who violate the obligation will be subject to severe fines,” said Merkel.

Meanwhile, anyone who knowingly goes on an avoidable trip to a risk area and suffers a loss of earnings due to the quarantine obligation will not be paid compensation in lost wages in future.

READ MORE: Germany agrees nationwide €50 fines for flouting mask rules

Germany earlier this month introduced free mandatory tests for travellers returning from high-risk areas and free voluntary tests for those coming back from elsewhere.

But following concerns that German labs were becoming overburdened, the government will scrap the free tests for those returning from non-risk areas from September 15th. 

Returnees from risk areas will have to go into quarantine and will not be allowed to take a test before the fifth day after their return.

This is to stop an infection from remaining undetected during the last days of the stay abroad. The quarantine can be ended after a negative result of this test. Bavaria will continue to provide free tests, also for returnees from non-risk areas, until at least October 1st.

The government is also set to examine whether people returning from travel should pay for the test themselves.

Differing stances

Under Germany's federal system each state has the right to impose its own coronavirus regulations, leading to a patchwork of rules which many say leads to confusion.

The current penalties on flouting mask rules for instance vary wildly, from €40 in Hamburg and €250 in Bavaria to no fines at all in Brandenburg.

Federal and state governments – with the exception of Saxony-Anhalt – agreed on a minimum fine of €50 for people who violate the obligation to wear a mask.

Saxony-Anhalt's state premier Reiner Haseloff said his state was instead enforcing a ban on public transport for passengers without a face covering.

Private party numbers to be looked at again

Private social gatherings in Germany should be held outdoors when possible – and have as few participants as possible. Merkel and the state leaders were unable to agree on an upper limit on the number of people at gatherings in private homes.

Originally, the government had proposed 25 people as a limit.

“Depending on the regional occurrence of infection, restrictions are to be imposed on private celebrations, for example by lowering the maximum number of participants,” the resolution states.

“The states have very different ideas, which could not be brought together today,” Merkel said. But she wants to “continue discussing the topic”.

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GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

Foreigners in Germany are waiting on tenterhooks for the introduction of the new dual nationality law on Thursday - but the centre-right CDU and CSU say they would overturn the reform if re-elected next year.

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

“The CDU and CSU will reverse this unsuccessful reform,” Alexander Throm (CDU), spokesperson on domestic policy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told DPA on Tuesday.

“Dual citizenship must remain the exception and be limited to countries that share our values.”

Throm also criticised the new citizenship law for reducing the amount of time foreigners need to live in the country before naturalising as Germans, describing the new residence requirements as “far too short”.

“After five or even three years, it is not yet possible to determine with certainty whether integration has been successful in the long term,” he stated.

“The recent caliphate demonstrations and the rampant Islamist extremism, often by people with German passports, must be a wake-up call for us all.”

READ ALSO: Which foreign residents are likely to become German after citizenship law change?

Despite vociferous opposition, the alliance between the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party (CSU) was powerless to stop the traffic-light coalition’s citizenship reform passing in both the Bundestag and Bundesrat earlier this year. 

The reform, which permits the holding of multiple passports, lowers residence requirements and removes language hurdles for certain groups, is set to come into force on June 27th. 

But with the CDU and CSU emerging as clear winners in the recent EU parliamentary elections and regularly landing on 30 percent or above in the polls, it’s possible that the party could be on course to re-enter government next year. 

In this situation, the centre-right parties have pledged to try and undo what senior CDU politicians have described as a “dangerous” reform.

“It is not unusual for successive governments to reverse decisions made by the previous government,” Andrea Lindholz, the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group said in a recent response to a question

“We will maintain our position on this and will continue to strive for a corresponding change.”

READ ALSO: What are citizenship offices around Germany doing to prepare for the new law?

Whether the CDU and CSU can secure enough votes at both state and federal elections to change the law in the future remains to be seen.

The parties may also have to compromise on their plans with any future coalition partner, such as the Greens, Social Democrats (SPD) or Free Democrats (FDP), all of whom support liberal immigration laws and the holding of multiple nationalities. 

‘Citizenship devaluation law’

The CDU and CSU parties, which form a centre-right alliance nicknamed the Union, have long been opposed to dual nationality in Germany.

During their years of governing in a so-called grand coalition with the centre-right Social Democrats (SPD), the parties had regularly made reforms of citizenship one of their red lines, citing the danger of hostile nations influencing Germany from within. 

In a recent parliamentary speech back in January, Throm had slammed the bill as a “citizenship devaluation law” and accused the government of trying to generate a new electorate to win votes.

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

In comments aimed primarily at Germany’s large Turkish diaspora, the CDU politician claimed that people who had lived in Germany for decades but not taken German citizenship had already chosen their old country over Germany.

The majority of Turks in Germany are also supporters of the authoritarian president Recep Erdogan, he argued.

Responding to the claims, FDP migration expert Ann-Veruschka Jurisch said the opposition was fuelling resentments against migrants by claiming the government was “squandering German citizenship”.

In fact, she argued, the reform has tightened up requirements by ensuring that people who claim benefits and cannot support themselves are unable to become German citizens.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Germany’s citizenship law reform

In addition, the B1 language requirements have only been softened in a few exceptional cases, for example to honour the lifetime achievements of the guest worker generation who had few opportunities when they arrived, Jurisch said. 

If foreigners have committed crimes, the authorities will be able to investigate whether these involved racist or anti-Semitic motives before citizenship is granted, she added. 

With reporting by DPA

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