by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:38 PM ET, Wed May 27, 2020
German officials are currently working to lift travel bans in place to 31 European countries starting on June 15.
According to The Local, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in talks with regional leaders about new health and safety guidelines as the country prepares to ease travel restrictions implemented to stop the coronavirus outbreak.
Merkel is warning officials to use caution when developing plans and exercise commonly accepted protocols from around the world to avoid a second wave of infections associated with the viral pandemic.
The German government began work Wednesday on a plan to allow travel to 26 other European Union nations and Britain, as well as the four non-European Union countries; Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Each country had a different approach to the coronavirus quarantines, which has resulted in concerns from officials like Bavarian Premier Markus Soeder that the country is opening its borders too quickly.
"We have in Italy, Spain and France completely different infection numbers compared to Germany so I ask the federal government to think very carefully about this," Soeder said during the meetings.
There are also local reports claiming Merkel is facing pressure from state premiers to move up the date that social distancing measures are relaxed from July 5 to June 29. Government officials did not comment.
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