Cross-border travel for essential business or official purposes will resume between Singapore and Germany soon, according to a joint statement released by the foreign affairs ministries of both countries.

The two countries will establish a Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) to facilitate such travel, and operational details of the RGL, including the procedural requirements, health protocols, and application process will be announced in due course.

People using the RGL will have to travel via direct flights

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), eligible applicants who are residents in either Singapore or Germany will have to abide by the Covid-19 prevention and public health measures mutually agreed by both countries.

They will also have to travel via direct flights between both countries.

The RGL with Germany will also serve as a model for similar agreements with other European nations in the future.

This is Singapore's first RGL with a nation outside of Asia.

Similar arrangements have been made with China, Brunei, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Germany reported more than 11,200 new cases yesterday

According to DW, Germany reported over 11,200 new Covid-19 cases on Oct. 22, the first time since the start of the pandemic that more than 10,000 new cases in Germany were recorded in a 24-hour period.

Lothar Wieler, head of Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases, said that the situation has become "very serious overall", and called upon the nation's local health authorities to maintain their efforts in dealing with Covid-19.

During a press conference held on Oct. 22, he warned Germans not to hold private parties, given that they appeared to be one of the main sources of infections.

"We don't see so many outbreaks at workplaces or in public transportation, but it's mostly coming together in privacy, in parties and also in services and weddings. We shouldn't have too many of these events," said Wieler.

However, he emphasised that Germany's hospitals are "well-prepared" to handle a potential spike in Covid-19 patients, given that Germany has a high number of intensive care units (ICUs), relative to the population.

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