Germany to introduce border controls as coronavirus cases jump

[webfact]

Germany to introduce border controls as coronavirus cases jump

 

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer holds a news conference on closing its borders with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Denmark from Monday in Berlin, Germany, March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will temporarily introduce border controls on its frontiers with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Denmark from Monday, the government said on Sunday as the country seeks to curb a rapid spread of coronavirus.

 

Germany is facing an aggressive progression of the illness, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said.

 

"I decided today that border controls will be temporarily introduced on the borders with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Denmark," he told a news conference. "The controls will take effect from tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT)."

 

As of Sunday, there were 4,838 cases of coronavirus in Germany, with 12 deaths, the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said. That was a sharp rise from 3,795 confirmed cases, with eight deaths, a day earlier.

 

Seehofer said the virus was progressing "rapidly and aggressively" and that "we must assume that the peak of this development has not yet been reached."

 

"So the situation is very serious," he added.

 

Schools and nurseries across the country are closing this week until after the Easter holidays at the end of April.

 

Hamburg on Sunday joined Berlin and Cologne in closing all bars, clubs, cinemas, theatres and concert halls.

 

Baerbel Bas, deputy leader of the Social Democrats' parliamentary group, said Germany needed to consider tougher measures if the number of new cases continues to accelerate.

 

"If the number of new infections cannot be slowed down with current measures, a complete lockdown must be considered," she told Die Welt newspaper.

 

Earlier, Lufthansa said it had organised special flights for the coming days, to return 3,000-4,000 cruise passengers and holidaymakers to Germany, many of them from the Canary Islands and the Caribbean.

 

It will operate the charter flights on behalf of shipping and tourism companies.

 

(Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Frances Kerry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-16

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[englishoak]

So much for the Schengen Visa and the EU being one borderless family...... the game is over, the EU dream of all European Nations all harmoniously living as one with no borders is smashed to pieces... brought down by a virus.

 

Grim reality for all European citizens has arrived. By the time this is over the world is going to look and be very different. Good luck to all in all countries, may your loved ones and you stay safe. 

 

 

[Crazy Alex]

4 minutes ago, englishoak said:

So much for the Schengen Visa and the EU being one borderless family...... the game is over, the EU dream of all European Nations all harmoniously living as one with no borders is smashed to pieces... brought down by a virus.

 

Grim reality for all European citizens has arrived. By the time this is over the world is going to look and be very different. Good luck to all in all countries, may your loved ones and you stay safe. 

 

 

Great point. England is looking way ahead of the curve at this point. Good for them for asserting their sovereignty and autonomy.

Edited March 15, 2020 by Crazy Alex

[JustAnotherHun]

2 hours ago, englishoak said:

So much for the Schengen Visa and the EU being one borderless family...... the game is over, the EU dream of all European Nations all harmoniously living as one with no borders is smashed to pieces... brought down by a virus.

BS! In times like these travel restrictions and lock downs inside the countries and at their borders are an important measure to fight the  spreading.

At the moment the crisis is over the border will be open again.

 

I'm surely not pro EU and it's non democratic buerocrats, but the hate I read here in many posts by Brits is laughable and small-minded. To those:

Your "empaah" is gone. Enjoy hanging around on your small island and keep on hoping there won't be a border between you and Sctoland in the future.

[englishoak]

11 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

BS! In times like these travel restrictions and lock downs inside the countries and at their borders are an important measure to fight the  spreading.

At the moment the crisis is over the border will be open again.

 

I'm surely not pro EU and it's non democratic buerocrats, but the hate I read here in many posts by Brits is laughable and small-minded. To those:

Your "empaah" is gone. Enjoy hanging around on your small island and keep on hoping there won't be a border between you and Sctoland in the future.

 

I like Europe, as countries, just never been stupid enough to pretend its a superstate as an entity, it isnt. The only hate i see chum is your reaction. Stay mad lad... 

Edited March 16, 2020 by englishoak

[Chomper Higgot]

3 hours ago, Crazy Alex said:

Great point. England is looking way ahead of the curve at this point. Good for them for asserting their sovereignty and autonomy.

Except the UK is not ahead of the curve, it’s simply a couple of weeks behind it.

[Chomper Higgot]

Adding (or attempting to avoid adding) relatively small numbers to a exponential growth curve that has already passed its point of inflection is pointless.

 

The virus has already crossed the borders and is already wide spread in the population, it will remain a threat until it infects enough people to create herd immunity or a vaccine is found.

 

The vaccine is not yet even on the horizon, so the only means to defeat the virus is the growth of herd immunity.

 

Closing the borders is practically pointless but obviously has some political social message purposes.

 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2020 by Chomper Higgot

[Chomper Higgot]

3 hours ago, englishoak said:

So much for the Schengen Visa and the EU being one borderless family...... the game is over, the EU dream of all European Nations all harmoniously living as one with no borders is smashed to pieces... brought down by a virus.

 

Grim reality for all European citizens has arrived. By the time this is over the world is going to look and be very different. Good luck to all in all countries, may your loved ones and you stay safe. 

 

 

So much for the argument that nations within the EU do not have sovereignty over their borders, the fact that they do has been demonstrated by Germany’s action but nevertheless somehow managed to evade you.

 

 

Edited March 16, 2020 by Chomper Higgot

[donnacha]

15 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

So much for the argument that nations within the EU do not have sovereignty over their borders, the fact that they do has been demonstrated by Germany’s action but nevertheless somehow managed to evade you.

Germany condemned Hungary for doing the same thing in a far more dangerous situation just a few years ago. If you cannot see how far the goalposts have moved you simply aren't paying attention.

[blazes]

It's about five days since Germany and France (and of course the usual suspects in the perfumed vales of ThaiVisa) were roundly condemning Trump for closing the borders to Europeans!!!!!

 

How lovely are the feet of them who practise hypocrisy....

[samran]

4 hours ago, englishoak said:

So much for the Schengen Visa and the EU being one borderless family...... the game is over, the EU dream of all European Nations all harmoniously living as one with no borders is smashed to pieces... brought down by a virus.

 

Grim reality for all European citizens has arrived. By the time this is over the world is going to look and be very different. Good luck to all in all countries, may your loved ones and you stay safe. 

 

 

Not quite...

 

Every EU country always had these types of emergency powers. The death knell for the EU? You're optimistic I'll give you that.

 

This is a time where all freedom of movement is being restricted. Across borders, within borders, within communities, within streets.

 

 

[bristolboy]

4 hours ago, englishoak said:

So much for the Schengen Visa and the EU being one borderless family...... the game is over, the EU dream of all European Nations all harmoniously living as one with no borders is smashed to pieces... brought down by a virus.

 

Grim reality for all European citizens has arrived. By the time this is over the world is going to look and be very different. Good luck to all in all countries, may your loved ones and you stay safe. 

 

 

Such nonsense. By your reasoning, I guess China is doomed to fall apart too since it banned travel in and out of some provinces. Everybody who isn't ideologically blinded understands the special nature of this ban and the emergency that lies behind it.

[Rimmer]

A troll post has been removed also a reply

[donnacha]

24 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

By your reasoning, I guess China is doomed to fall apart too since it banned travel in and out of some provinces.

Shhhhh ... we're not meant to reveal that the countries of Europe are now provinces, not for at least a few more years.

[bristolboy]

6 minutes ago, donnacha said:

Shhhhh ... we're not meant to reveal that the countries of Europe are now provinces, not for at least a few more years.

This makes about as much sense as alleging that China's provinces are on their way to becoming autonomous. Which would be the case if we were to follow the logic of your previous comment.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, donnacha said:

Germany condemned Hungary for doing the same thing in a far more dangerous situation just a few years ago. If you cannot see how far the goalposts have moved you simply aren't paying attention.

You have a rather odd idea of dangerous.

[samran]

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

You have a rather odd idea of dangerous.

Not odd when he’s been conditioned to think that certain classes of people are worse than a disease...

[welovesundaysatspace]

5 hours ago, englishoak said:

So much for the Schengen Visa and the EU being one borderless family...... the game is over, the EU dream of all European Nations all harmoniously living as one with no borders is smashed to pieces... brought down by a virus.

 

Grim reality for all European citizens has arrived. By the time this is over the world is going to look and be very different. Good luck to all in all countries, may your loved ones and you stay safe. 

 

 

I knew it wouldn’t take long for the first deluded Brexiteer to show up to construct an abstruse relationship between Corona measures and the EU, conveniently ignoring that also the UK and other countries are shutting down and limiting movement of people to the greatest extent possible. 

[welovesundaysatspace]

1 hour ago, donnacha said:

Germany condemned Hungary for doing the same thing in a far more dangerous situation just a few years ago. If you cannot see how far the goalposts have moved you simply aren't paying attention.

Nonsense, there was no virus spreading a few years ago in Hungary. 

[bristolboy]

7 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

I knew it wouldn’t take long for the first deluded Brexiteer to show up to construct an abstruse relationship between Corona measures and the EU, conveniently ignoring that also the UK and other countries are shutting down and limiting movement of people to the greatest extent possible. 

Actually, the US has also put a domestic airline travel on the table for consideration. I guess by EnglishOak's lights, that means the USA is about to fall apart, too.

Edited March 16, 2020 by bristolboy

[Salerno]

If only 

[welovesundaysatspace]

4 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Actually, the US has also put a domestic airline travel on the table for consideration. I guess by EnglishOak's lights, that means the USA is about to fall apart, too.

No, I guess by now he must realize what fool he made of himself by posting such nonsense. Pretty much the whole world is trying to fight a virus and all he can think of is spreading his Brexiteer hatred. 

[drbeach]

1 hour ago, bristolboy said:

This makes about as much sense as alleging that China's provinces are on their way to becoming autonomous. Which would be the case if we were to follow the logic of your previous comment.

Hardly the same thing. China still has external borders and nobody has ever suggested it's provinces are in any way independent. Same with the United States. It's one country with 50 states, that just so happen to have a great deal of autonomy in determining their own laws (unlike Thailand where all laws apply nationally and come out of Bangkok), BUT unlike the various states of Europe, which are like the previous guy said, coming together almost as provinces of a larger superstate, as opposed to remaining sovereign states.

[Opl]

6 hours ago, Crazy Alex said:

Great point. England is looking way ahead of the curve at this point. Good for them for asserting their sovereignty and autonomy.

the logic of "herd immunity" requires a large proportion of the population to be infected... at the cost of a smaller but significant part of it bound to die, for the benefit of a collective fight against the virus... it's a bet.     

[welovesundaysatspace]

 

Quote

the various states of Europe, which are like the previous guy said, coming together almost as provinces of a larger superstate, as opposed to remaining sovereign states.

Complete nonsense. Would that be the case the response to Corona might actually be better. Same case for Germany, which is composed of federal states that in many areas of public life can decide autonomously as sovereign states, regardless of what Mrs. Merkel announces. 

Edited March 16, 2020 by welovesundaysatspace

[Chomper Higgot]

20 minutes ago, Opl said:

the logic of "herd immunity" requires a large proportion of the population to be infected... at the cost of a smaller but significant part of it bound to die, for the benefit of a collective fight against the virus... it's a bet.     

Callous but entirely correct.

[sawadee1947]

8 hours ago, Crazy Alex said:

Great point. England is looking way ahead of the curve at this point. Good for them for asserting their sovereignty and autonomy.

Exactly. 

With no financial support of Brussels. 

So let the downturn go on. 

Rule stupidity! ????

[KhunBENQ]

Now waiting for the British gov. to give up on their free flow infection/survival of the fittest strategy.

[sawadee1947]

5 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The vaccine is not yet even on the horizon, so the only means to defeat the virus is the growth of herd immunity.

Just on the way by German company, which the American maniac would like to buy 

[pacovl46]

14 hours ago, englishoak said:

So much for the Schengen Visa and the EU being one borderless family...... the game is over, the EU dream of all European Nations all harmoniously living as one with no borders is smashed to pieces... brought down by a virus.

 

Grim reality for all European citizens has arrived. By the time this is over the world is going to look and be very different. Good luck to all in all countries, may your loved ones and you stay safe. 

 

 

Such a delusional statement! ????

You do realize that this is only temporarily, do you?