Kiefersfelden (Germany) (AFP)

Germany partially closes its borders with the Czech Republic and Austrian Tyrol on Sunday in an attempt to contain the spread of the very contagious variants of the coronavirus.

"Fixed checkpoints" at the borders concerned are thus set up, like the one installed at Kiefersfelden (Bavaria), on the border with Austria.

However, exceptions are possible for Germans living in these countries, nationals of these countries residing in Germany, passengers in transit or the movement of goods.

- "Disaster" -

Among those authorized to move, those who do not show a negative test are likely to be "turned away", warns the Bavarian Minister-President, Markus Söder on Friday.

In the Czech Republic, motorists crossed the border on Saturday, before the restrictions came into force, for at least ten days.

"We are curious to know what will happen next because to have a test every week, and to pay for it in addition, it would be a disaster", told AFP, at the border post of Rozvadov, Milan Vaculka, a driver. truck in a hurry to cross the border and reach France.

Slovakia, also hit hard by the variants, has also been targeted since Sunday by these restrictions with the suspension of links with Germany.

Border controls could also soon be established at the border with Moselle, a French department where the circulation of variants is particularly active.

"Even if the variants of the virus are already circulating in Germany, it is necessary to prevent any further intrusion as well as possible", argues the Minister of the Interior of Baden-Württemberg, a region neighboring Bavaria.

Germany, at the cost of drastic restrictions for many weeks, has succeeded in lowering the incidence rate throughout the country and limiting the rise in contamination.

However, she remains very wary of the threat of variants.

In the Czech Republic, a country that is among the main affected in Europe, with more than a million cases declared for less than 11 million inhabitants, three cantons, including two adjoining the German border, were placed under bell on Thursday due the prevalence of the British variant of the coronavirus.

Bavarian cities close to the border thus have a share of the British variant sometimes exceeding 50% of declared cases of Covid-19.

Tyrol, isolated since Wednesday by the government in Vienna, is considered the largest European focus of the South African variant.

"We don't want to go through a second Ischgl," warns Söder, referring to the Austrian ski resort from which the virus spread like wildfire a year ago.

- "That's enough!"

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Tyrol is singled out for the influx of foreign skiers on its slopes, which remained open despite containment but supposed to be reserved for locals.

After several weeks of restrictions, shops, museums and schools reopened in Austria on Monday, even if the number of daily contaminations remains high (just over a thousand).

Germany has for its part decided to extend its partial containment measures until March 7.

Only schools are expected to reopen earlier, with February 22 being considered in many areas.

Its list of risk areas already includes several countries such as Great Britain, South Africa, Brazil or Portugal with which Germany banned most travel at the end of January.

The German Interior Minister, the conservative Horst Seehofer, responded strongly on Saturday to European criticism against these restrictions and to Brussels' request to facilitate the movement of cross-border workers.

"Enough! The European Commission has made enough mistakes in purchasing vaccines in recent months," he said in the daily Bild.

© 2021 AFP