German travel warning for over 160 countries extended by two weeks
BERLIN – Germany’s coronavirus travel warning for more than 160 countries outside the European Union will be extended by two weeks, to September 14, government sources said on Wednesday (26).
This was decided at a Cabinet meeting.
The German Foreign Office put in place a warning against all international travel on March 17, in an unprecedented move designed to shield the country at the height of the pandemic.
This blanket directive was lifted in June, when European countries began opening up their borders to travellers, amid concerns that missing the traditional summer holiday season would inflict even more economic pain on the continent.
Germany has since lifted its warnings for EU countries, members of the European border-free Schengen zone, as well as Britain, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican.
Travel warnings have also been lifted for parts of Turkey.
The remaining warnings for the more than 160 countries outside the EU had originally been set to expire at the end of August.
Several popular holiday destinations still affected by the measures, including Egypt and Tunisia, have called on Germany to lift the warning for those countries.
A travel warning is not the same as a travel ban; it is intended to work as a severe deterrent. It also allows travellers to cancel their bookings free of charge in Germany.
-dpa