Germany to lift travel ban in Europe from June 15

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will lift a travel ban for European Union member states plus Britain, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland from 15 June as long as there are no entry bans or large-scale lockdowns in those countries, the foreign minister said.

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Heiko Maas said all countries concerned met those criteria except Norway due to an entry ban and Spain, where he said parliament was deciding whether to extend an entry ban.

Maas said the travel warning would be replaced with guidelines, adding that Germans would be urged not to travel to Britain when not essential while a 14-day quarantine in place.

“Travel advice is not an invitation to travel - and we want to make clear that the travel guidelines may also strongly discourage travel, for example to Britain as long as there is a 14-day quarantine for all those arriving there,” Maas said.

“We will continue to make the lifting of the travel warning dependent on how the situation on the ground develops,” he said, adding new warnings could be issued if a country records more than 50 newly infected people per 100,000 over seven days.

Matthias von Randow, chief executive of the German Air Transport Association (BDL), welcomed the government's decision to lift the blanket warning, introduced for travel worldwide in mid-March, as “sensible and proportionate”.

“This is a good signal for the many people in Europe who want to go on holiday in the summer or visit friends and relatives abroad,” he said.

“It is also good news for 26 million men and women employed in the European travel and tourism industry”.