Germany to decide on border regime with Czech Republic next week

Germany will decide next week on whether to relax the stiff travel restrictions for Czech nationals. According to Steve Alter, spokesman for the federal interior ministry, the travel ban imposed has not been 100 percent effective in curbing the spread of the virus to Germany’s border regions.

Germany closed its border with the Czech Republic in mid-February after designating the country as "very high risk" due to the growing number of coronavirus mutations on Czech territory. Stiff border controls are in place and only selected cross border workers are allowed entry. They must produce a negative PCR test no older than 48 hours and are only allowed to drive to their place of work and back. Truck drivers transiting the country must also produce a negative PCR test.

Saxony has said it wants to create a Covid buffer zone on its border with the Czech Republic through a blanket inoculation of inhabitants in the border region.