Germany becomes the latest country to tighten borders

GERMANY WILL TIGHTEN ITS BOARDERS WITH AUSTRIA, FRANCE AND SWITZERLAND TO HELP STOP THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS, ACCORDING TO LOCAL REPORTS.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her interior minister have agreed the new measures with the state premiers and they will start from 8 am local time (7am GMT) on Monday, according to German newspaper Bild.

Goods will continue to flow between the countries and commuters can also still cross the borders, the newspaper said.

A French presidency official said steps taken on the Franco-German frontier as a result of the coronavirus outbreak are not border closures, but a strengthening of controls.

The official said French President Emmanuel Macron and Merkel had been in talks over the weekend and had coordinated their efforts. They said: “This is not a border closure. These are steps to reinforce controls.”

The aim was to contain coronavirus and to stop panic buying by foreigners which has led to some supply problems in the German border regions, Bild added.

Germany has reported nearly 3,800 coronavirus cases and eight deaths.