display

North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) has massively criticized the federal government for removing Mallorca from the list of risk areas and lifting the travel warning.

"Now is not the time to travel," said Laschet early Tuesday morning in Düsseldorf after the almost twelve-hour federal-state consultations.

Because cross-border travel in particular carries the risk that even more dangerous coronavirus variants than the British mutant could spread in Germany.

The lifting of the travel warning for Mallorca had also led to many discussions in the federal-state talks, because "there is an unequal treatment here with German tourist destinations," said the CDU federal chairman.

You could have “saved yourself” that if you had waited until after Easter.

But now many people would meet on Mallorca.

He expects the federal government to ensure that the airlines are obliged to test the Mallorca returnees before they take off from the island and that the vacationers will not bring the virus back to North Rhine-Westphalia.

Transport Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) had taken precautions and talked to the managing directors of the large NRW airports in order to “prepare modalities for tests even after landing,” said Laschet.

"And they will do that too."

display

North Rhine-Westphalia will also implement the "emergency brake" at the Corona openings "one to one".

Laschet emphasized this on Tuesday morning.

The "emergency brake" means the withdrawal of easing measures that have already taken place, such as the opening of shops, museums and sports facilities, if the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants exceeds 100 within seven days.

It applies in NRW from Monday, said Laschet.

At the same time, Laschet justified the federal-state resolution to shut down public, economic and private life in Germany over Easter from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday.

The "dynamic development" of the Corona situation "does not allow anything else at this point in time," said the CDU chairman.

This may sound harsh to many people and many are disappointed, but the forecast development of the virus will make these days particularly difficult.

"At this point in time, there is no other way to slow down the dynamic development."