UPDATE - Germany lifts travel warning for 31 European countries

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM GERMAN FM

BERLIN (AA) - Germany announced on Wednesday that it decided to lift travel warning for 31 European states as part of a normalization process after the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told a press conference in Berlin that from June 15 onwards, “travel warning” for 31 European countries will be replaced by individual “travel advice”, which will be regularly updated by the ministry to inform travelers on potential risks and restrictions.

Germans will be able to travel to 26 EU member states, the UK, as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the four countries in the Schengen area, Europe’s border-free travel zone.

Asked when Germany will scrap travel warning for other countries that successfully managed the COVID-19 pandemic, Maas said for the non-EU countries, the government would first wait for the recommendations of the EU Commission.

“The European Commission will decide this week whether or not to extend restrictions for travel from third countries to the EU area. Accordingly we may discuss this issue again in next week’s Cabinet meeting,” he said.

In March, the German government issued a global travel warning for its citizens, urging them to avoid non-essential travel abroad for tourism purposes amid flight disruptions, worldwide entry restrictions and lockdown measures to stem the spread of coronavirus.