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TRAVEL NEWS

Germany poised to issue travel warnings for USA, Turkey and Israel

Just as the United States looks set to introduce new system that could end its months-long travel ban, Germany is on the verge of branding the country a "high-risk" area, along with Turkey and Israel.

Published: 13 August 2021 15:55 CEST
Germany poised to issue travel warnings for USA, Turkey and Israel
A woman wearing a mask goes for a jog near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. America could shortly become a 'high risk' area. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/AP | Jeff Chiu

According to media reports, the Robert Koch Institute will be adding the United States and Israel to its high-risk list as of Sunday, August 15th, meaning each of those destinations will be subject to a travel warning from next week.

In addition to the United States and Israel, Montenegro and Vietnam could also be reclassified as high-risk categories from Sunday.

To allow German residents with a Turkish heritage to return from their summer visits, Turkey will join the high-risk list a few days later, on Tuesday evening. 

The news on the United States comes just days after a report by Reuters revealed that the United States government was planning to introduce new rules to make it easier for vaccinated travellers to visit the country.

According to reports, President Biden is considering a ‘vaccinated-only’ entry rule that could pave the way to lifting the months-long ban on European tourists. 

READ ALSO:

Nineteen regions and countries have been upgraded since the Health Ministry introduced sweeping reforms to its travel rules at the start of August – including the scrapping of the ‘basic risk’ category and the rebranding of ‘high-incidence’ areas as ‘high risk’.

The high-risk category takes into account numerous factors as well as the 7-day incidence as infections per 100,000 people to determine whether a destination would be particularly risky for travellers. 

Quarantine for the unvaccinated 

Travellers returning from high-risk areas to Germany are subject to a ten-day quarantine that can be ended after five days with a negative test.

Vaccinated travellers or those who have recently recovered from Covid don’t have to quarantine if they can show proof of vaccination or recovery. 

READ ALSO: Five things to know about Germany’s new Covid testing rules

Everyone entering from a high-risk area must also register beforehand on the Digital Entry Portal and show proof of vaccination, recovery of a negative test, regardless of whether they travel by train, car or plane. 

Since high-risk areas are also subject to a travel warning, the decision could have an impact on the validity of travel insurance if tourists choose to visit these countries. 

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WILDLIFE

Southern Germany sees explosion of mosquitos after floods

First flooding, and now a plague of mosquitos: hoards of the annoying bloodsuckers are spreading on Lake Constance. Here's what to expect if you are visiting the region.

Published: 24 June 2024 16:57 CEST
Southern Germany sees explosion of mosquitos after floods

After severe floods in southern Germany, conditions are ripe for mosquito populations to explode, according to an expert in the region. 

Rainer Bretthauer, environmental and climate protection officer at the city of Radolfzell on Lake Constance, told DPA that the popular holiday location is already seeing signs of a mosquito plague.

 Bretthauer said that the floods have offered perfect conditions for egg laying, resulting in masses of mosquito offspring.

People living around the area or visiting should be prepared, Bretthauer said. He suggested, for instance, wearing loose-fitting and long clothing.

Timing also plays a role when you’re outside. “They tend to bite during twilight hours when the temperature is higher than 18C,” he said. 

Mosquitos ‘not a bad thing for wildlife’

While growing mosquito hoards may ruin peoples’ camping trips and planned lake vacations, for local wildlife, the mosquitos are a good thing, according to the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (Nabu).

“All the insects that are now developing are a very important food source for many fish species and also for birds,” said Eberhard Klein from Nabu in Constance.

Around 50 species of mosquitoes are known in Germany. Some of them are counted among the so-called floodwater mosquitoes, which increasingly hatch after flooding.

According to experts, these mosquitos are particularly zealous blood hunters, as they have to reproduce quickly before the favourable conditions disappear again.

Floodwater mosquitoes like to lay their eggs on moist soil, often in riparian zones and floodplains. There they can survive in the soil for several years.

When these zones flood and the temperature is favourable, the eggs develop and hatch mosquitos. Therefore large-scale flooding, as seen recently in Southern Germany, can lead to mass hatching.

Mosquito borne illness is spreading to Europe as temperatures warm

Warming temperatures brought by human-caused climate change have allowed mosquito populations to extend further northward in Europe, including disease-carrying species that were previously limited to regions closer to the equator.

For example, the Asian tiger mosquito is not native to Europe but has already been observed in much of southern and central Europe, including Germany.

Tiger mosquitos are particularly concerning because they are known to spread diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika virus. Mass outbreaks of these infections have been rising globally. Last year local Dengue outbreaks were recorded in France, Italy and Spain.

With reporting by DPA

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