Germany To Require COVID-19 Testing For Travelers From ‘High-Risk’ Countries

The German government on Thursday announced that it will require travelers from “high-risk” countries to take COVID-19 tests, with the policy going into effect this weekend. “High-risk” countries include nations with large outbreaks, such as the United States.

Germany has already mandated that travelers from “high-risk” nations go into quarantine for at least 14 days, unless they can produce a negative test result that is no more than two days old.

“I am very well aware that this impinges on individual freedoms, but I believe that this is a justifiable intervention,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said about the testing mandate.

The move comes as Germany deals with a spike in COVID-19 cases. Germany’s public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute, reported 1,045 new cases on Wednesday, the first time the country surpassed 1,000 new daily cases since May.

Germany has been particularly concerned about holidaymakers returning from Spain, a popular summer travel destination for Germans that has seen a rise in cases. Germany has urged its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Spanish regions of Catalonia, Aragon and Navarre due to the risk of infection.

Germany’s response to the COVID-19 crisis has been widely praised, due to the country having a widespread testing regime and an oversupply of hospital beds. Germany even had the resources to take in COVID-19 patients from hard-hit European Union nations such as France and Italy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s approval rating has improved amid the crisis. She has drawn from her science background to explain the outbreak to citizens in a methodical and calm manner.

As of 2:25 p.m. ET, there are 214,842 COVID-19 cases in Germany, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, with a death toll of 9,181.