COVID-19: Closing border won’t stop virus
BERLIN: Sealing Germany’s borders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus would not work, Health Minister Jens Spahn said today, rejecting calls to follow neighbour Austria in denying entry to visitors from Italy.
Interviewed on Deutschland funk radio, Spahn said the focus of Germany’s current approach, to the epidemic was to slow the virus’ spread to minimise the peak burden on the country’s health system.
He described as “astonishing” the failure to call off a major Berlin football fixture this weekend.
“The virus is in Germany; it is in Europe. That’s the thought we have to get used to,” he said.
“It will still spread even if you close all the borders. Sooner or later you have to let people in or out and then it starts spreading again,” he added.
Reuters
