After six months, Germany eases world travel restrictions

Berlin, October 1

Germany lifted its blanket warning against travelling to all countries outside the European Union (EU) early on Thursday, although little is likely to change for most travellers under the new regulation.

The cautious reopening, agreed by the German cabinet three weeks ago, comes as Europe faces an uptick in Covid-19 cases, with many warning the continent is on the cusp of a second wave of the Covid pandemic.

Germany imposed a global travel warning in March, when the virus was raging in northern Italy, but lifted it for most European countries in June. In September, Berlin began reissuing warnings for regions within Europe when infections rose above the level of 50 cases per 1,00,000 people over a week.

In future, the same standard will be applied to the rest of the world. This means that provided the prevalence of the virus is below that threshold, travellers will be able to return to Germany without going into quarantine pending a negative test.

At present, entry and exit without restrictions will only be possible in parts of Europe and Georgia.

But with more warnings being lifted in the near future, the change could prove significant for non-European tourist destinations that have traditionally received large numbers of visitors from the EU's most populous country. Reuters

Italy to extend state of emergency till January

Rome: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday he would ask Parliament to extend the country's Covid-19 state of emergency to the end of January, as the government tries to avoid the surge in cases seen in other European countries. The state of emergency, due to expire in mid-October, gives greater powers to the Central government, making it easier for officials to bypass the bureaucracy that smothers much decision-making in Italy. "We will propose toPparliament to extend the state of emergency, probably to the end of January 2021," said Conte. Reuters

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