Germany extends travel warning for non-EU countries

By Erbil Basay

BERLIN (AA) - Germany on Wednesday extended its travel warning for non-EU, non-Schengen area countries amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

The previous date of Aug. 31 was extended until Sept. 14, said lrike Demmer, government spokeswoman.

Andrea Sasse, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, also said it is difficult to make predictions about the pandemic, adding that the situation will be re-evaluated in mid-September, when the summer vacation period ends.

As the situation changes, the warnings for some countries or regions could change, Sasse added.

In March, Berlin issued a global travel warning for its citizens to avoid non-essential travel abroad due to the outbreak, along with restrictions on international air travel.

Three months later it lifted its travel warning only for EU and Schengen states, but extended it for all other countries until the end of August.

Germany on Aug. 4 partially lifted its coronavirus travel warning for Turkey, greenlighting summer holidays in popular destinations such as Antalya, Izmir, Fethiye, and Aydin.

Separately, Berlin on Wednesday also canceled a protest of coronavirus restrictions set for Saturday amid a rising number of cases.

Banning the event is not against freedom of protest but it meant to protect people from infection, said Andreas Geisel, Berlin’s state interior minister.

The decision came after protestors on Aug. 1 failed to comply with measures to stem the virus’ spread.

After it eased restrictions, in recent weeks Germany has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases, as the Robert Koch Institute reported 1,576 new cases on Wednesday.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, at least 236,429 people in Germany have been infected, with 9,280 deaths, said the institute on Wednesday.

*Writing and contributions by Busra Nur Bilgic Cakmak