https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The German state of Bavaria is considering closing its southern border, citing Austria’s "irresponsible behaviour". https://www.thelocal.de/20210209/austria-is-acting-irresponsibly-germany-considers-border-closures Tue, 09 Feb 2021 12:22:50 +0100 austria-is-acting-irresponsibly-germany-considers-border-closures North Rhine-Westphalia has become the second state after Bavaria to put in place compulsory coronavirus testing for arrivals from high-risk areas. https://www.thelocal.de/20201224/germany-north-rhine-westphalia-imposes-compulsory-coronavirus-testing-for-arrivals-from-risk-areas Thu, 24 Dec 2020 11:41:35 +0100 germany-north-rhine-westphalia-imposes-compulsory-coronavirus-testing-for-arrivals-from-risk-areas The German state of Baden-Württemberg has closed the border to Switzerland in both directions to prevent the spread of coronavirus. https://www.thelocal.de/20201222/switzerland-baden-wrttemberg-closes-border-due-to-coronavirus-risks Tue, 22 Dec 2020 17:15:24 +0100 switzerland-baden-wrttemberg-closes-border-due-to-coronavirus-risks Switzerland has removed several Austrian states, while adding one German state to its mandatory coronavirus quarantine list. The US has been kept on the list. https://www.thelocal.de/20201218/switzerland-adds-parts-of-germany-removes-austria-from-mandatory-quarantine-list Fri, 18 Dec 2020 20:26:00 +0100 switzerland-adds-parts-of-germany-removes-austria-from-mandatory-quarantine-list A district administrator in a heavily hit region in German state of Bavaria has said Austria is partly to blame for the rise in infections. https://www.thelocal.de/20201027/austria-blamed-for-bavarias-covid-19-surge Tue, 27 Oct 2020 12:28:18 +0100 austria-blamed-for-bavarias-covid-19-surge Switzerland has expanded its mandatory quarantine list, adding parts of Germany, Italy and Austria - as well as seven other countries. Germany’s two largest cities have been placed on the list. https://www.thelocal.de/20201009/switzerland-parts-of-germany-italy-and-austria-added-to-coronavirus-quarantine-list Fri, 09 Oct 2020 20:11:00 +0200 switzerland-parts-of-germany-italy-and-austria-added-to-coronavirus-quarantine-list Germany is set to lift its international travel ban from October 1st onwards. But what will this actually mean for international travel? https://www.thelocal.de/20200914/how-will-international-travel-from-germany-look-from-october Mon, 14 Sep 2020 13:15:47 +0200 how-will-international-travel-from-germany-look-from-october More than 160 countries are currently on Germany’s travel warning list. If you’ve booked a trip to one of these destinations, can you get your deposit back? https://www.thelocal.de/20200831/can-you-get-your-deposit-refunded-if-your-country-is-placed-on-germanys-travel-warning-list Mon, 31 Aug 2020 15:51:50 +0200 can-you-get-your-deposit-refunded-if-your-country-is-placed-on-germanys-travel-warning-list German consumer advocates have called for an end to mandatory deposits when booking travel, due to the uncertainty of travelling during the pandemic. Tour operators reject the idea. https://www.thelocal.de/20200831/german-consumer-advocates-demand-end-to-mandatory-deposits-for-holidays Mon, 31 Aug 2020 13:58:39 +0200 german-consumer-advocates-demand-end-to-mandatory-deposits-for-holidays Loudly chanting their opposition to face masks and vaccines, thousands of people gathered in Berlin on Saturday to protest against coronavirus restrictions before being dispersed by police. https://www.thelocal.de/20200802/berlin-protest-against-virus-curbs-draws-thousands Sun, 02 Aug 2020 13:20:53 +0200 berlin-protest-against-virus-curbs-draws-thousands Germany’s economics minister wants harsher penalties for anyone who violates coronavirus measures, as news emerged that the country's GDP was suffering from record shrinkage. https://www.thelocal.de/20200801/coronavirus-germanys-economics-minister-calls-for-harsher-penalties-for-disregarding-rules Sat, 01 Aug 2020 13:35:58 +0200 coronavirus-germanys-economics-minister-calls-for-harsher-penalties-for-disregarding-rules A research projected completed in the German state of Bavaria found that people infected with coronavirus lose their antibodies to the virus just months after beating the disease, giving rise to concerns about the effectiveness of herd immunity. https://www.thelocal.de/20200713/german-research-suggests-infection-offers-little-immunity-to-coronavirus Mon, 13 Jul 2020 17:38:15 +0200 german-research-suggests-infection-offers-little-immunity-to-coronavirus A leading German politician has suggested billionaire meat industry boss Clemens Tönnies should face a prison sentence for exploiting his company’s workers. https://www.thelocal.de/20200713/coronavirus-social-democrat-politician-suggests-prison-sentence-for-billionaire-german-slaughterhouse-boss Mon, 13 Jul 2020 15:16:42 +0200 coronavirus-social-democrat-politician-suggests-prison-sentence-for-billionaire-german-slaughterhouse-boss Weddings, sporting competitions and other events are now allowed to welcome more people in Germany’s most populous state. https://www.thelocal.de/20200713/north-rhine-westphalia-further-relaxes-coronavirus-lockdown-restrictions Mon, 13 Jul 2020 12:55:30 +0200 north-rhine-westphalia-further-relaxes-coronavirus-lockdown-restrictions The first coronavirus face masks to be made in Switzerland have failed the standards of Germany’s Tüv Nord certification body. https://www.thelocal.de/20200707/first-made-in-switzerland-masks-fail-german-certification-standards Tue, 07 Jul 2020 19:16:13 +0200 first-made-in-switzerland-masks-fail-german-certification-standards Swiss cross-border shoppers have fallen foul of compulsory mask requirements when crossing the border to shop in Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20200625/swiss-cross-border-shoppers-fined-for-not-wearing-masks-in-germany Thu, 25 Jun 2020 13:54:12 +0200 swiss-cross-border-shoppers-fined-for-not-wearing-masks-in-germany The coronavirus pandemic and the pressure to close borders presented a unique challenge for Switzerland. Daniel Wighton looks at how significant and speedy action was taken to protect the country's legion of cross-border workers and avoid a catastrophe in its health service. https://www.thelocal.de/20200612/switzerland-cross-border-workers-coronavirus-sokutions-journalism Fri, 12 Jun 2020 18:19:29 +0200 switzerland-cross-border-workers-coronavirus-sokutions-journalism After a longer than expected delay, Germany’s coronavirus tracing app is set to be released in the coming week. Here’s what you need to know. https://www.thelocal.de/20200612/how-will-germanys-coronavirus-tracing-app-work Fri, 12 Jun 2020 17:38:47 +0200 how-will-germanys-coronavirus-tracing-app-work The central German state of Thuringia wants to end coronavirus lockdown measures in early June, while teachers in all kindergartens and schools should be tested for the coronavirus. https://www.thelocal.de/20200523/thuringia-announces-plans-to-end-coronavirus-lockdown-restrictions-in-early-june Sat, 23 May 2020 19:03:08 +0200 thuringia-announces-plans-to-end-coronavirus-lockdown-restrictions-in-early-june More than 100 people are currently in quarantine in the Leer region in northwestern Germany after a coronavirus outbreak at a restaurant. Several people have tested positive for the virus, with others showing symptoms. https://www.thelocal.de/20200524/coronavirus-outbreak-in-western-german-restaurant-poses-lockdown-relaxation-questions Sun, 24 May 2020 18:16:49 +0200 coronavirus-outbreak-in-western-german-restaurant-poses-lockdown-relaxation-questions