Germany To Put All Arrivals In 14-day Quarantine

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Kazeem Tunde
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BERLIN, GERMANY - JULY 19: German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at her traditional annual summer press conference on July 19, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. As the German Chancellor bids for re-election, the ongoing issues surrounding the United States' PRISM spy program are expected to feature heavily in the run-up to the September 22 general election. Merkel has stressed her concern over the U.S. government's compliance with German data collection laws and has pledged to seek tougher European Union data protection policies, but has faced pressure as the opposition questions how early she knew of the surveillance program. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)

Germany To Put All Arrivals In 14-day Quarantine

By AFP

Germany will put all arriving travellers in quarantine for 14 days, the interior ministry said Monday, as Berlin ramps up entry curbs to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The measure, which will come into force on April 10, is expected to affect mostly German or EU nationals and residents, as the European Union has already banned all arrivals from outside the bloc.

Workers in the health sector living outside Germany in border regions will be exempted from the restriction, which will also not apply for business travellers entering for a short period of time.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government had decided on the toughened rule during a cabinet meeting focus on the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

During the same meeting, which is ongoing, ministers agreed that 100 percent of loans made by banks to small- and medium-sized firms will be guaranteed by the state.

The federal government will stand fully behind 500,000 euros ($540,000) of lending to companies with up to 50 employees and 800,000 euros for larger ones, upping its guarantee level from a previous 80 percent for large firms or 90 percent for smaller ones.

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