Germany imposes strict travel ban from COVID-19 variant countries

Empty counters of German airline Lufthansa are seen at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on March 12, 2020. (Photo by DANIEL ROLAND/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 4:30 PM PT – Saturday, January 30, 2021

Germany imposed a partial ban on travelers coming from countries where the new coronavirus variant is widespread. The travel ban, introduced on Saturday, bars travelers from five countries.

German citizens will be allowed passage to and from these countries, but train and sea travel will also be filtered through customs inspections.

“Since midnight tonight, there is a new coronavirus safety measure. The federal police is under order to check the travel ban on flights from the so-called virus variant areas,” Reza Ahmari, spokesman for Frankfurt Airport Federal Police said. “Those are the five countries at present: Britain, Ireland, Portugal, South Africa and Brazil. We are checking the travel ban which means no travelers from those countries are allowed to enter Germany.”

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 23: Lufthansa airplanes are shown at Frankfurt Airport on November 23, 2016 in Frankfurt, Germany. (Photo by Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images)

German officials agreed to extend the ban through February 17 as the nation remains on lockdown through February 14.

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