BERLIN - Germany is changing its entry rules for travellers from China and will in future require at least a rapid coronavirus test to enter the country, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on Thursday.

There will also be random checks upon entry for any coronavirus variants as well as expanded monitoring of wastewater, he said in a statement.

The steps are in line with recommendations by European Union government officials released on Wednesday evening.

"Europe has found a joint response to the pandemic situation in China. This is precisely what we as the federal government have been working towards," said Lauterbach.

China plans to ease travel restrictions on Sunday, despite a wave of new infections which has left Chinese hospitals and funeral houses overwhelmed.

Officials at the Frankfurt airport have already been monitoring wastewater, a health ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Alexander Ratz, Writing by Miranda Murray, editing by Kirsti Knolle and Paul Carrel)