Germany eases travel restrictions as Spain opens Portugal border

Germany says it is easing restrictions on travellers from up to 11 countries outside the European Union, but not the full list recommended by the European Union.

The interior ministry said that, as of today, people from Australia, Georgia, Canada, Montenegro, New Zealand, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay will be able to enter without restrictions.

That will also apply to Japan, South Korea and China, but only if those countries also allow people from Germany to enter.

Germany omitted four countries from the list released by the EU on Tuesday of those whose people should be allowed into the 27 member countries and four other nations in the visa-free Schengen area: Algeria, Morocco, Rwanda and Serbia.

Neighbouring Austria’s foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg said his country was maintaining a ban on people from non-european countries entering until further notice.

And he said Austria was imposing a travel warning for six countries for the western Balkans – Bosnia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Serbia – in view of high coronavirus figures. The move comes as the leaders of Spain and Portugal marked the reopening of their land border yesterday, more than three months after shutting it because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Spain’s King Felipe VI and prime minister Pedro Sanchez met Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and prime minister Antonio Costa for border ceremonies in Badajoz on the Spanish side and later in Elvas, Portugal.

Wearing masks, which they removed to hear their national anthems played, the Iberian leaders toured a Moorish fortress and museum in Badajoz before visiting a 14th-century castle in Elvas, 12 miles away.

They gave no speeches. Spain has been one of Europe’s hardest-hit countries in the pandemic, with almost 250,000 cases and more than 28,300 deaths. A strict lockdown enabled Spanish authorities to bring the outbreak under control. Over the past week it has officially recorded almost 2,000 new cases. Portugal avoided an exponential increase in cases during April and May, but stubborn outbreaks have occurred in recent weeks after lockdown ended and several hundred news cases have been emerging every day.

Africa’s confirmed coronavirus cases have meanwhile surpassed 400,000 and deaths have crossed 10,000 as health officials warned the pandemic was picking up speed on the continent of 1.3 billion people.

The new milestones come as some countries loosen their lockdowns and even reopen airports for international flights.