Germany opens first Covid test point on border with Poland

Germany's north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has opened a quick-test Covid-19 point at the Linken-Lubieszyn crossing, the first facility of its kind on the Polish-German border.

If Germany declares Poland a high-risk zone, people travelling to Germany will have to show a negative test result obtained within the past 48 hours.

"We want to prevent the closing of the border, as was the case during the first lockdown," said the state's Minister-President Manuela Schwesig. "The border points will enable people who commute to work every day to see their families on a daily basis.

"Unfortunately, we realise that it is only a matter of time before Poland is classified as a high-risk area due to the mutations and the number of infections," Schwesig said.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will cover a part of the costs, and trans-border workers will pay EUR 10 per test.

Currently, adults entering Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania must produce a negative SARS-CoV-2 test result obtained within the past four days.

The German state plans to open a second test point, at the Ahlbeck-Świnoujście crossing, in a few days' time.