VENLO - Germany will not introduce strict border controls at the border with the Netherlands to determine whether travellers can enter the country. This was decided by the German government on Monday. According to Chancellor Merkel, additional police patrols will be introduced, however.
On the table was a proposal to limit the influx of travellers from the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium and the Czech Republic to stop the spread of the corona virus in Germany. Only people who have a compelling reason to come to Germany, such as workers in the border region, would be allowed in. A proposal on this by Interior Minister Seehofer leaked on Friday.
The strict travel restrictions do apply at Germany's borders with five other neighbouring countries, such as Austria and France, since last month. The governments of the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, which border the Netherlands, successfully appealed to Merkel not to introduce the strict border controls on the German-Dutch border. According to Merkel, there is constant consultation between the authorities in the border region which makes the travel restrictions unnecessary in practice
