Germany's Robert Koch Institute has placed Luxembourg on its list of at-risk countries.

The institute continuously updates its map (and list) of potential risk countries by using information about positive tests per 100,000 inhabitants. The map displays all EU member states, countries belonging to the Schengen area, and the United Kingdom. Out of all these countries, Luxembourg is the only one on the map that recorded more than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days.

Within the last seven days, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Greece performed best with 0 to 5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. France and Belgium recorded between 5 and 10 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants while Portugal and Sweden recorded 25 to 50.

Germany's Foreign Office is also currently cautioning against "non-essential" travel (including tourism) to Luxembourg.

The complete list of at-risk countries can be found here.

Residents and cross-border workers among the new infections in Luxembourg
The Robert Koch Institute said the guidelines were based on 50 cases per 100,000 residents. However, it is worth noting that Luxembourg's figures count both residents and cross-border workers infected with the virus. This approach means the Grand Duchy's figures can be misleading, but the phenomenon only affects around 10% of new infections according to Minister of Health Paulette Lenert, who gave details in a briefing last Friday.

The Luxembourg government has appealed for a more coordinated approach to figures across the EU, echoed by Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean Asselborn on Friday.

A return to border controls?

Despite the rise in new infections, the governments of the neighbouring Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate have opposed putting border controls with Luxembourg in place once again.

When is a country considered a risk zone?

A country is placed on the risk zone list following a coordinated analysis and decision made by the German Ministry of Health, the Federal Foreign Office, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry for Construction and Home.

In order to be considered at risk, a country must have counted more than 50 new infections per 100,000 residents in the last seven days, or else it is determined whether there is a high enough infection risk within the state, even if the number of new infections falls under the nominal amount.