German FM Maas defends relaxation of coronavirus travel warnings

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has defended the lifting of Germany's blanket travel warning for all coronavirus risk areas planned for Thursday.

"The time for blanket assessments must be over," Maas said on Tuesday on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Matera in Italy.

"There's no reason to maintain restrictions where there are positive developments."

The German government decided almost three weeks ago that it would lift the travel warning for all risk areas with a seven-day incidence of more than 50 new infections per 100,000 people.

More than 80 countries around the world currently fall within this category. In addition, the government will no longer give blanket advice against tourist travel abroad.

For EU countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland - which are no longer classified as risk areas - the travel advice of the Foreign Office will in future simply be to exercise "special caution."

This applies, for example, to Italy, Austria, Greece and large parts of Spain.

From July 1 onwards, the travel warning for tourist trips will only apply to areas with an incidence rate of above 200, and to those areas where dangerous virus variants have spread strongly.

Around 40 countries fall within this category, mostly outside Europe, with the exceptions being Britain, Portugal and Russia.

Anyone returning to Germany from a virus variant area must be quarantined for 14 days - even if fully vaccinated or recovered. Those who are not German citizens and do not have a residence in Germany are not allowed to enter the country by plane, bus or train.