BERLIN (GERMANY) – The German health minister said on Saturday that the country may introduce mandatory coronavirus testing for holidaymakers who return from high risk countries. This new measure comes after the number of new cases in the country reached a two-month high.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said that the government would do everything possible within its ambit to stem the spread of the virus at the same time respecting the basic rights of people.
“We are also checking whether it is legally possible to oblige someone to do a test, because it would be an encroachment on freedom,” Spahn said.
A senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, the Spahn said that the courts were scrutinising all coronavirus curbs to ensure that they do not violate basic rights.
It was on Friday that the minister and his counterparts from 16 states agreed to offer returnees free coronavirus tests free of charge on a voluntary basis.
Those arriving from high risk countries such as the US, Brazil and Turkey are eligible for immediate testing while people returning from other destinations will be tested in three days.
If a person returning from a high-risk country tests negative, they will not have to undergo a 14-day quarantine.
Through early and rampant testing, the country has fared better than most other countries in containing the virus.
Meanwhile, video clips showing German tourists indulging in unruly behaviour in Spain has stoked fears of holidaymakers being at increased risk of infection and bringing the virus home.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field