Published 20:42 IST, January 29th 2021
Germany mulling cutting down air travel to zero to curb COVID, interior minister says
In a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus mutations, German authorities were considering a ban on almost all international air travel, interior minister said.
In a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus mutations, German authorities are considering a ban on almost all international air travel, country’s interior minister Horst Seehofer said. Highlighting that the danger posed by the virus mutations were the reason behind the “drastic measures”, he revealed that they were considering significantly stricter border checks including cutting down air travel to almost zero. His remarks came while speaking to German tabloid Bild in an interview earlier this week.
According to the latest tally by John Hopkins University, Germany has reported over 2,182,948 positive cases and 55,504 COVID-19 related deaths as of now. Last week, 21 Airbus workers in Hamburg tested positive, marking the country’s latest outbreak. It is not yet confirmed whether they contracted SARS-CoV-2 or one of its highly spreading mutations. However, in the aftermath, the company has isolated 500 of its employees.
As per a report published in Bild, Chancellor Merkel had asked Seehofer to look into ways the country could defend itself against the spread of mutations. Merkel has opposed a complete travel ban, however, she has spoken in favour of halting tourism in the country. The country is currently testing thousands of coronavirus samples to scour for new mutations.
Germany orders COVID-19 drugs
Meanwhile, Germany has ordered hundreds of doses of the drug that previously cured former US President Donald Trump of coronavirus. While nothing is known about the manufacturers of the “miraculous” treatment yet, German health minister, on January 23, confirmed the deal. Speaking to a local newspaper, Jens Spahn revealed that the country had bought 200,000 doses for a whopping amount of 400 million euros.
He also confirmed that they were same drugs which were used to treat trump when he contracted the virus in October last year. Elaborating further he said that the drugs work as “passive vaccination” and was capable of stopping any serious progression of coronavirus in vulnerable patients at an early stage of the disease.
Updated 20:42 IST, January 29th 2021