German officials want air travel virus contact tracing
Published:Monday | June 15, 2020 | 10:04 AM
BERLIN — Germany’s official disease control institute is recommending resuming contact tracing for people who shared a flight with someone who later tests positive for COVID-19.
The Robert Koch Institute said Monday that the likely increase in air travel and the current low number of cases mean contact tracing for plane passengers should be resumed.
The practice was suspended in mid-March as air travel came to a virtual standstill due to pandemic lockdowns around the world.
Border checks for most Europeans were dropped overnight in Germany and the government lifted its travel warning for much of the rest of Europe.
The Robert Koch Institute reported 192 new cases of COVID-19 in Germany on Monday, taking the total tally in the country to 186,461 since the start of the outbreak.
At least 8,791 people with the virus have died in Germany.
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