Germany hopes to ease travel restrictions on March 4

Germany aspires to ease the travel restrictions derived from the coronavirus pandemic on March 4, when the current regulations in this regard expire and given that the country has left behind the peak of the wave caused by the omicron variant.

The deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Oliver Ewald, pointed out, in an ordinary press conference, that the government plans that the new decree, which contemplates an adaptation to the new situation of the classification of the areas considered at risk and the rules of quarantine, enters into force the next day 4.

Thus, it is expected that only those countries with the presence of more dangerous variants than omicron, such as the delta, will appear on the list of areas considered high risk.

The classification as risk areas by variant of the virus will be maintained for those countries in which a new mutation with particularly worrying characteristics appears, such as, for example, that existing vaccines do not offer protection.

In this way, travelers who return from countries with the omicron variant will no longer have to fill out a registry upon entering the country or quarantine if they do not have a COVID passport, although they must continue to present a negative test if they are not vaccinated.

The cumulative incidence continues to fall in Germany and stands at 1,278.9 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 1,306.8 yesterday and 1,401.0 a week ago, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for virology updated this morning.

Health authorities reported 209,052 new positives and 299 deaths with or from COVID in 24 hours, compared to 219,972 or 247 a week ago, while active cases are around 3,615,900.

As of Tuesday, 76.2% of the population (63.4 million people) had been vaccinated, 75.2% (62.6 million) with the full schedule, while 56.5% (47.0 million) had already received a booster dose.

On the other hand, the Health spokesman pointed out that the process of supplying the first consignment of the Nuvaxovid vaccine, from the US pharmaceutical company Novavax, is underway and that it is expected to carry out the distribution to the different federated states in the second half. of week.