Germany no longer classifies some regions, including the United States, Canada and Austria, as areas of a high coronavirus risk, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said on Friday.

The RKI listed 19 countries and regions that are "no longer considered risk areas" thanks to their low coronavirus infection rates.  

What does the decision mean for travelers?

Countries that have been removed from the travel risk list include Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Cyprus, Kosovo, Lebanon, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine and the US. 

Some regions in Portugal, Norway, Croatia, Greece and Switzerland are also no longer considered risk regions by Germany. 

Travelers entering Germany by plane must provide a negative test result, proof of vaccination or proof of recovery before their departure, whether or not they spent time in a risk area, the RKI said. 

The decision takes effect on June 13.  

When will other countries be removed from Germany's travel risk list? 

Later on Friday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced that most remaining countries would be taken off of Germany's travel risk list by July 1.

"With the summer, hope and confidence are returning to Germany. In many places, the number of infections is falling and more and more citizens are vaccinated," said Maas. "After long months of lockdowns, we can look forward to more normalcy, and that also applies to traveling." 

Maas was, however, quick to point out that the lifting of restrictions was not an "invitation to carelessness," noting that new variants should not come as a surprise to anyone vacationing this summer.

js,fa/aw (AFP, Reuters)