Germany is partially lifting its travel ban from June 15, but only for European Union Member States and Britain, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland as long as there are no entry bans or large-scale lockdowns in those countries, according Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas.
He said all of the above countries meet the necessary criteria except Norway which has an entry ban in place and Spain.
The Spanish parliament is currently in talks to decide whether to extend its entry ban which has been set for July 21 or lift on June 22.
The Spanish Foreign Minister, Arancha Gonzalez Laya has tweeted that as soon as Spain lifts its restrictions on foreign travellers, Berlin will allow German travellers to go to Spain.
Minister Maas said the current travel warning will be replaced with guidelines for Germans travelling overseas.
“Travel advice is not an invitation to travel and we want to make it clear that the travel guidelines may also strongly discourage travel, for instance, Germans are urged not to travel to Britain unless it’s essential while the 14-day quarantine is in place,” he said.
Minister Maas made it clear that new warnings would be issued if a country records more than 50 new infections per 100,000 people within 7 days.
“The lifting of the travel warning will be dependent on how the situation on the ground develops,” he said.
Matthias von Randow, Chief Executive of the German Air Transport Association, or BDL, said the Government's decision to lift the blanket, worldwide travel warning was sensible and proportionate.
“This is a good sign for the many people in Europe who want to go on holiday over the summer or visit friends and relatives abroad,” he said, adding “It’s also good news for 26 million men and women employed in the European Travel and Tourism Industry.”