The German government has declared regions in eleven EU countries to be corona risk areas and now warns against traveling there.
Among them are regions directly bordering on Germany in the Czech Republic and in Austria as well as the capital cities of Denmark, Portugal and Ireland - Copenhagen, Lisbon and Dublin. All in all, 14 of 27 EU member states are now at least partially designated as corona risk destinations again.
For the first time, regions in Denmark, Portugal, Ireland and Slovenia were declared risk areas due to the rapidly increasing number of infections. Other areas were included in France, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Croatia, Romania, Austria and Hungary.
Travelers returning from risk areas must be tested for corona 48 hours before or after entry and then remain in quarantine until the results are available. The travel warning is not a ban, but is intended to have a significant deterrent effect. However, it also has a positive side for consumers: Travelers can cancel bookings free of charge.
In Austria, after the capital Vienna, the tourist region of Vorarlberg with its capital Bregenz south-east of Lake Constance has now been added. In the Czech Republic there are three administrative regions bordering Bayern and Saxony: Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary), Pilsen (Plzen), Liberec and South Bohemia. It is estimated that around 37,000 Czech commuters work in Germany, mainly in the catering and health sectors.
In Bayern, the so-called Entry Quarantine Regulation stipulates that commuters from abroad do not have to go into quarantine if they regularly spend no more than 48 hours abroad and show no symptoms. It is valid until 3 October.
The coronavirus is particularly widespread in urban areas. In Denmark, Hovedstaden around the capital Copenhagen is therefore now the first region to be designated as a risk area. This also includes the popular vacation island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. The capitals Lisbon and Dublin are also the first to be affected in Ireland and Portugal.
In France, one region after another has already been designated corona risk destinations in recent weeks. Now three further ones are added, which are not at the German border, but are nevertheless well-known and popular with holiday-makers: Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley. By the way, among Germany's eight neighboring countries there are only two that are still without a risk area: Luxembourg and Poland.
After the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, the German Foreign Office issued a worldwide travel warning for tourist travel for the first time on March 17. It was initially lifted again in mid-June for more than 30 European countries. After only a few weeks, however, the travel warnings for the first countries had to be reactivated due to increasing numbers of infections. In the meantime, more than half of the EU countries are affected. However, Spain is still the only member state that has been completely declared a risk area.
The classification is usually made if the number of new corona infections exceeds the mark of 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days. The travel warning may also be based on other reasons such as entry bans or lack of hygiene measures.