German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced on Tuesday that the German government is considering a ban on almost all international air travel in an effort to cease the spread of new, more deadly strains of the coronavirus.
“The danger posed by numerous virus mutations forces us to consider drastic measures. That includes significantly stricter border checks, particularly at borders with high-risk areas, but in addition reducing air travel to Germany to almost zero, as Israel is currently doing,” Seehofer informed the German tabloid Bild.
The paper reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel requested that Seehofer looks into ways the nation may defend itself against the spread of mutations on Sunday.
On Tuesday, Merkel instructed lawmakers she was against an all-out travel ban, whereas at the same time calling for a halt to tourism because the pandemic continues to spread.
The German Travel Association criticized the move noting the grave damage the coronavirus has already done to the tourism and business travel sectors: “The government should take this under consideration. It mustn’t focus on further tightening our already tightly restricted freedom of movement.”
