GERMANY BORDER SHUTDOWN STIRS PROTESTS, ANGER FROM CARMAKERS

New pandemic restrictions imposed at Germany's borders with the Czech Republic and Austria on Sunday, February 14, 2021, triggered concerns from German car makers and diplomatic tensions with Vienna, Annika Saeuberlich and Andre Stahl reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

From Sunday onwards, only German nationals and residents are allowed to enter Germany from the Czech Republic and from Austria's Tyrol province. The policy was imposed to prevent the transmission of more infectious coronavirus variants from these areas.

The Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) warned that restrictions on the German-Czech border may cause delivery problems and lead to the closure of German factories from Monday.

"The plants in Ingolstadt, Regensburg, Dingolfing, Zwickau and Leipzig will be the first to be affected," a VDA spokesman said.

However, German automotive giants Volkswagen and Daimler said they currently do not expect supply disruptions. German car makers source parts from eastern EU countries and from northern Italy.

Tyrol is a major thoroughfare for cargo from Italy to Germany. Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said he had "urgently warned against excessive steps that do more harm than good" in talks with his German counterpart Heiko Maas.

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