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Berlin (dpa) - Despite the worrying corona situation in the French border region Moselle, Chancellor Angela Merkel does not expect stricter controls as at the borders with the Czech Republic or the Austrian state of Tyrol.

"Border controls are currently not on the agenda," said the CDU politician on Thursday after the first day of the EU video summit.

The Moselle department borders the Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate.

In the past few weeks, the corona situation there had worsened.

The increased occurrence of dangerous corona variants is of particular concern.

France has already tightened its entry rules for this region in consultation with the German side.

Cross-border commuters who do not want to enter for professional reasons must submit a negative PCR test from March 1st.

Merkel pointed out, however, that the situation in this border area is completely different from that on the borders with the Czech Republic and Austria.

The federal states of Bavaria and Saxony had expressly asked for border controls there.

"That is not the case here at all, the opposite is the case," stressed Merkel.

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A task force recently discussed the situation at the border, including Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) and his French counterpart Olivier Véran, representatives of the foreign ministries and regional representatives.

Germany introduced border controls from mid-March to mid-May 2020 due to the pandemic and closed some crossings.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210225-99-596558 / 2