France's corona-induced border limits receive federal court approval.
A disgruntled Frenchman aimed to shop at a German supermarket in May 2020. However, the Federal Police blocked him at the Kleinblittersdorf border crossing near Saarbrücken. This move led to the border's closure for nearly two months. The Frenchman's health didn't pose any threat.
Although the Administrative Court of Appeal in Koblenz already dismissed the complaint in the highest court, the Federal Administrative Court followed suit. The entry ban was justified due to the Covid-19 pandemic because it was deemed a contagious disease with potential for an epidemic by the World Health Organization.
The Federal Administrative Court highlighted potential public health dangers, justifying the denial for shopping purposes. The ruling isn't based on health risk posed by the plaintiff alone. There was no discrimination based on nationality involved.
The Frenchman sought to prove that the border closure was illegal as well. The Federal Administrative Court found this point inadmissible. They believed the infringement on the fundamental rights caused by the closure of a single border crossing was negligible, hence no need for further legal proceedings.
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The Frenchman argued against the legality of the entry restriction at the Federal Administrative Court in Saarbrücken, following the rejection at the Administrative Court of Appeal in Koblenz. Despite France's corona-related border limits being approved by the Federal Court, the situation in Germany was different, as Germany's Federal Police enforced the entry restriction at the Kleinblittersdorf border crossing. The compliance with the World Health Organization's classification of Covid-19 as a contagious disease with epidemic potential justified the entry restriction for public health considerations. The Federal Administrative Court in Koblenz and Saarbrücken both upheld the entry ban, ruling out any discrimination based on nationality.
