GERMANY CLOSES ITS BORDERS WITH THE REP. CZECH, SLOVAKIA AND AUSTRIAN TYROL
Germany partially closes its borders with the Czech Republic and Austrian Tyrol on Sunday in an attempt to contain the spread of highly contagious variants of the coronavirus. Thus “fixed checkpoints” are established at the borders in question, such as the one installed in Kiefersfelden (Bavaria), on the border with Austria.
A large system of a thousand police officers is mobilized to guarantee these controls. The railway company Deutsche Bahn has suspended its connections with these areas.
However, they are possible exceptions for Germans living in these countries, nationals of these countries residing in Germany, transit passengers or the movement of goods. Among those authorized to move, those not show a negative result they are likely to be “rejected,” warns Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder on Friday.
Germany, for its part, has decided to extend its partial containment measures until March 7. Only schools are expected to reopen earlier, and February 22 is being considered in many areas.
Its list of risk areas already includes several countries such as Great Britain, South Africa, Brazil or Portugal with which Germany banned most travel at the end of January.
Border closure with the Czech Republic
In the Czech Republic, motorists crossed the border on Saturday, before the restrictions, for at least ten days. “We are curious to know what will happen next because having a test every week, and paying for it in addition, would be a disaster,” a truck driver told AFP, at the Rozvadov border post, Milan Vaculka. in a hurry to cross the border and reach France.
Slovakia, border controls
Slovakia, Also hard hit by the variants, it has also been the target of these restrictions since Sunday with the suspension of ties with Germany. Border controls could also be established soon on the border with Moselle, a French department where the circulation of variants is particularly active.
“Even if the virus variants are already circulating in Germany, it is necessary to avoid any other intrusions as best as possible“argues the Interior Minister of Baden-Württemberg, a neighboring region of Bavaria.
Germany, at the cost of drastic restrictions for many weeks, has managed to lower the incidence rate throughout the country and limit the increase in pollution. However, it remains very cautious about the threat of variants.
The Bavarian cities close to the border therefore have a share of the British variant that sometimes exceeds 50% of the declared cases of Covid-19.
Tirol is the largest European focus of the South African variant
Tyrol, isolated since Wednesday by the government of Vienna, it is considered the largest European focus of the South African variant. “We don’t want to go through a second Ischgl“Söder warns, referring to the Austrian ski resort from where the virus spread like wildfire a year ago.
Tirol is notable for the influx of foreign skiers on its slopes, which remained open despite contention, but were supposed to be reserved for locals. After several weeks of restrictions, shops, museums and schools reopened in Austria on Monday, although the number of daily contaminations remains high (just over a thousand).
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