Germany will ease quarantine restrictions for incoming travelers from the EU, the Schengen passport-free zone and the UK, the country’s interior ministry announced at a Friday press briefing.
Ministry spokesperson Björn Grünewälder said Germany would only ask travelers to go into quarantine if they arrive from countries with elevated numbers of infections.
A two-week mandatory quarantine still applies to arriving visitors from countries outside the EU.
Interior minister Horst Seehofer announced earlier this week that Germany had “set the clear goal of free travel in Europe by mid-June” and would start easing border controls this week.
The country’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has also raised the topic of travel restrictions, calling for a dialogue with his European counterparts to discuss how the limits can be eased for popular holiday destinations.
Germany’s foreign ministry has invited representatives from Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, Croatia, Portugal, Malta, Slovenia, Cyprus and Bulgaria to a video conference on the topic on Monday. The goal of the meeting is to coordinate the opening of borders for tourists.
But Maas has already warned that travelers cannot expect to take holidays as normal this summer.
Germany has extended its worldwide global travel warning until at least June 14.
