Germany on Thursday added popular tourist destinations along Croatia's coast to its list of high-risk coronavirus areas as infection numbers rise again during the holiday season.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn (3rdR) looks at an intubation system for patients infected with the new coronavirus next to the Chairman of the Board of the University Medical Center of Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) Jens Scholz during his visit to the UKSH intensive care unit on August 19, 2020 in Kiel.
The designation for Croatia's Sibenik-Knin and Split-Dalmatia counties announced by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases means travellers returning to Germany from there must take a free mandatory COVID-19 test and face a period of quarantine.
"Luxembourg and in Romania the counties of Ialomita, Mehedinti and Timis are no longer considered as risk areas," the RKI added in its updated travel guidance.
Germany earlier reported 1,707 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the highest daily toll since April.
The country has fared better than many European neighbours in suppressing the virus so far but like elsewhere, the number of cases has jumped significantly over the summer holidays.
Much of the rise has been blamed on returning holidaymakers as well as parties and family gatherings.