Germany looking to lift travel warning, Foreign Minister says

Bloomberg reports that Germany hopes talks with European Union partners on Monday will make progress toward lifting a global travel warning and enabling citizens to take vacations this summer, according to Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

Germany has a worldwide travel warning in place through June 14 due to the coronavirus on unnecessary leisure trips abroad. Although they are being scaled back, controls will remain in place on Germany's borders with France, Austria and Switzerland until June 15, as well as for arrivals by air from Spain and Italy.

Maas said a video call Monday with 10 counterparts from nations including Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Austria will focus on establishing criteria for holidays that would allow Germany to issue guidelines on international travel instead of a warning.

"That will give people a basis on which to make a decision about where they can go and where it would be better not to go," Maas said in an interview with ZDF television. He cautioned that a "mechanism" is also needed to enable a quick reaction in the event of a resurgence in infections.