Germany warns against unnecessary travel on holidays

The German government has warned citizens against making unnecessary travel during holidays in the wake of surging Covid-19 rate.

Steffen Seibert, spokesman of the German government, called for “refraining from any travel that is not absolutely necessary”.

Specific areas and holiday destinations are likely to be classified as risk areas according to the local Covid-19 incidence rates, Xinhua news agency quoted Seibert as saying at a press conference on Monday.

The German government on March 12 removed the Balearic Islands, some regions on the Spanish mainland in Portugal, as well as the Bahamas in the Caribbean from the Robert Koch Institute’s risk list. The government official said travelers from these places need not undergo quarantine on return to Germany. The government approved this flexibility just two weeks ahead of the Easter holidays.

The prospects for holidaymakers to “spend Easter in the sun are improving”, said the German Travel Association.