Germany closed its borders with the Czech Republic and Austrian Tyrol on Sunday.

The Moselle, where the different variants are progressing rapidly, fears having the same rule applied.

An unimaginable measure for the sub-prefecture and for the 50,000 French people who cross the border every day. 

Germany closed its borders with the Czech Republic and Austrian Tyrol on Sunday, in an attempt to contain the spread of Covid-19, drawing criticism from the European Union.

A decision that generated hours of traffic jams at the end of the weekend, since travelers can now enter Germany only if they present the guards with a negative PCR test.

The Moselle, hit hard by the epidemic and where the different variants are rapidly progressing, now fears having the same rules applied.

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"This is not topical", sweeps the sub-prefecture

If adopted, this measure would cause significant disruption.

Every day, nearly 50,000 French people go to work in Germany.

For them, it is unimaginable to be tested every day to go to the office.

The sub-prefecture also rejects this scenario en bloc.

"There is no question of closing the borders. I think that would be a prejudice for everyone. We also know that part of the hospital services of our neighbors are armed by doctors or French personnel. It would obviously be very annoying if we closed the borders. Today it is not topical ", one explains to the sub-prefecture.

Exceptions rather than a total closure?

As for German politicians, the message is clear for the moment: controls should only be implemented as a last resort.

But as soon as the microphones are cut, these elected officials are forced to be pragmatic: there is no reason for the Robert Koch institute, which deals with health surveillance in the Federal Republic, to make an exception for the Moselle.

The department could therefore logically be classified as a high-risk territory within the next few days, as is the case for all areas of the world that have outbreaks of mutant viruses.

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There is nothing more to do, deplores a member of the Saar government.

His only hope to avoid the total closure is, he says, to obtain the right to extend the list of exceptions, in other words the list of occupations or family profiles that will escape the rule of the test or that will benefit from a relaxation. .

For example, they might only have to take a test once a week.