[ad_1]
northAfter the discovery of a variant of the corona virus that is rampant in Britain, votes in the grand coalition to increase border controls are also increasing in the EU. Given that the strain of the mutated virus found in Britain is apparently much more contagious, it is correct to protect the population as much as possible from entry into Germany, said the vice-chairman of the Union parliamentary group, Thorsten Frei WELT.
“Tighter border controls and entry stops from there, as well as a strict testing and quarantine regime for returning German citizens, seem absolutely necessary to me in this context,” said the CDU politician. The course of the pandemic shows that if there is a strong incidence gradient or if there are mutations, it is necessary to deviate from the exemption of border controls in the Schengen area.
The recently discovered variant of the coronavirus is up to 70 percent more contagious than the previously known form, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. Virologist Christian Drosten of the Berlin Charité told Deutschlandfunk on Monday that this was only an estimate. It is not yet clear whether the new variant can actually be transferred more quickly. To guard against the mutation, passenger jets arriving from Britain initially cannot land in Germany until December 31.
“Entry stops must take effect immediately”
Inside the CDU politician Alexander Throm spoke out in favor of new travel restrictions. “We have to buy time before the mutated virus shows up here,” Throm said. Germany acted quickly by cutting transport connections with Great Britain. “If the mutated virus appears in other EU countries, the connections with these must also stop.” If traveling now represents an even greater risk, the next logical step is more restrictions and border controls.
“Even land entry stops, which are guaranteed by border controls, should be put into effect immediately as a protective measure if the highly infectious mutation of the coronavirus spreads in immediate neighboring countries like Italy,” said his group colleague Christoph de Vries.
SPD member Uli Grötsch is also in favor of increased border controls. “As long as we do not know exactly what we are facing with the mutated virus, I am as a precautionary measure to increase controls at our borders,” said the national politician. “However, German citizens and those who have their usual place of residence in Germany should be able to travel to Germany with their partners after presenting a negative Corona test, for example to celebrate Christmas at home.”
Baden-Württemberg Interior Minister Thomas Strobl wants to tighten the entry quarantine rules to slow the spread of the mutated virus. “In the future, generous exceptions for foreign travel from Germany will no longer be allowed,” said CDU politician WELT.
Anyone traveling abroad without a valid reason should no longer be exempt from the quarantine obligation upon return. So far, in the Southwest, as in most federal states, there is an exception for people who have been in a risk area for less than 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Strobl’s Bavarian colleague, Joachim Herrmann (CSU), has announced that the Bavarian police “will continue to carry out more checks in the coming weeks in coordination with the federal police in the border area and at border crossings.” The EU Commission should also immediately put in place legal requirements to require non-EU citizens to present a current negative test result at the external borders of the EU.
“The previously planned limitation of measures to direct entry, that is, essentially to air traffic, does not do justice to the dimensions of the problem in my opinion,” said Herrmann WELT.
Left against “solo national efforts”
The Federal Police Union DPolG considers it essential to start immediately with increased border surveillance at the national borders with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. “This is the only way to prevent British citizens who traveled to continental Europe last weekend from entering,” said Federal President Heiko Teggatz.
The opposition comes from the left faction. “Rather than just doing it at the national level, a European response, in coordination with Britain, would be needed,” said domestic policy spokeswoman Ulla Jelpke. “The swift call for border closures leads to a false sense of security.”
The federal government has yet to assess whether extensive border closures within the EU last spring actually contributed to reducing the infection rate.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced that the Federal Government will continue to monitor the development of the situation with great attention and will further adjust its measures if necessary. There was no concrete assessment of the demands for increased border controls.
