Germany removes Turkey from list of high risk COVID countries

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Germany's top disease control agency on Friday removed Turkey from the list of high risk COVID-19 countries.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Turkey is now merely a normal risk country and as a result there is no longer a need for a five- to 10-day quarantine obligation.

Turkey which was placed on the high-risk list of the RKI in April, has so far administered over 29.78 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it kicked off a mass vaccination campaign in mid-January, according to official Turkish figures released on Thursday.

Top Turkish and German tourism and economic officials had met in Berlin last month to discuss ways to promote safe travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Turkey has long been a top destination for German holidaymakers, but the number of German tourists visiting the country fell sharply last year due to virus-related travel restrictions and quarantine measures.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said last month they were discussing various steps with Ankara to facilitate travel in a responsible manner.