Frank Ulrich Montgomery said that such a step would be reasonable, referring to the increasing number of cases of so-called vaccine escape, where some people still get symptomatic infection despite being vaccinated.

“Everyone, without exception, arriving in the country must show a negative Covid test, including those who have been vaccinated and/or have recovered from Covid,” he told Germany’s Funke Media group on Saturday,

Since August 1st, everyone over the age of 12 — if they have not been vaccinated or have not recovered from the virus — must show a negative test when they return to Germany, irrespective of whether they travelled by plane, train or car.

“If you can afford a trip abroad, you can afford a rapid test,” said Montgomery.

As well as calling for compulsory testing for all travellers, he said he also wanted to see more rights being offered to vaccinated people to increase vaccination levels in the country.

He highlighted the example of France as proof this worked well: “You can no longer go to a restaurant or to the cinema there if you haven’t been vaccinated,” he said.

Although the increasing number of Covid cases was a concern, he said that the fact that almost two-thirds of the population had now been vaccinated meant that “it will not be as dicey as last year, but it’s still worrying. Because we still have a huge gap of unvaccinated people in the 18-59-year-old age group”. 

He said everything should be done to encourage unvaccinated people to have their jabs: “But bonuses, free beer or sausages won’t be of use, only rights for vaccinated people”.