Germany to require negative COVID-19 test from all arriving air travellers
First German state to end virus shutdown from April 6: Official
Berlin: Germany plans to introduce a requirement for all airline passengers entering the country to provide a negative coronavirus test result before departure, German daily Bild reported, citing government sources.
So far, only passengers from countries or regions with a high coronavirus infection rate are required to provide a negative test result.
But there has been growing concern over increased travel over the Easter holiday season, after airlines added hundreds of flights to the Spanish island of Mallorca, where the infection rate is below the threshold at which tests are required.
Saarland to lift shutdown
The southwestern state of Saarland will become the first in Germany to lift its virus shutdown from April 6, with leisure, sports and entertainment facilities to be allowed to reopen, state premier Tobias Hans said Thursday.
Cinemas, theatres, concert halls, outdoor dining and gyms will be reopened and gatherings of up to 10 people will be allowed in public after Easter, Hans told a press conference.
People who visit them will have to abide by hygiene rules and present a negative antigen rapid test, he said. Shops reopened from early March in the region bordering France and Luxembourg.