GERMANY BORDERS SHUT DOWN: COVID BREAKS

GERMANY BORDERS SHUT DOWN: COVID BREAKS

 

Germany, fearing new coronavirus variants, imposes border checks with Austria and Czech Republic Central Europe has become the continent's latest coronavirus hotspot, with Austria struggling to contain an outbreak of the new variant first identified in South Africa and neighboring Czech Republic facing hospital bed shortages on top of a political crisis over lockdowns.

The worsening situation in the Austrian province of Tyrol and the Czech Republic forced Germany to announce new border controls with both countries to contain the spread of the disease. German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the new rules, which will come into effect on Sunday, were "unavoidable."

''To protect the population from virus mutations -- this is why the federal government decided yesterday to declare the Czech Republic, Tyrol and Slovakia as coronavirus variant areas," Spahn said at a news  Conference  ON Friday.

Germany imposed border controls for three months at the start of the pandemic in an attempt to halt the spread, but it affected cross-border workers and families as well as trade.

Covid cases have been falling in Germany recently despite the new, more contagious variants. On Friday, the country recorded 9,860 new infections — a drop of 3,048 cases compared to the same day last week. Austria and the Czech Republic have not seen similar drops in cases.