Germany to impose quarantine for travellers from UK from Monday

Britain is now classed as a virus-variant area by Germany

Travellers arriving in Germany from the UK will need to quarantine for two weeks from Monday, it has been announced.

Following a surge in infections sparked by the new Omicron variant, Germany has classed Britain as a virus-variant area.

Those travelling from Britain to Germany will now need to provide a negative Covid-19 for entry into the country and will have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival even if they are vaccinated, the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said on Saturday.

At a meeting Saturday, Germany’s regional health ministers urged the national government to place tougher restrictions on people arriving from Britain, where the Omicron variant is now dominant.

"The spread of Omicron in the UK is very evident...We have to prevent the spread for as long as possible and slow it down as much as possible," the ministers said in a statement.

Britain has reported record daily Covid-19 infections for the past three days, reporting 90,418 new daily cases, and 125 deaths for Friday.

Of those new infections, 10,059 were identified as the Omicron variant, bringing the total number of cases of the new strain up to 24,968.

Cases in Germany have been falling in December, after a steep rise through October and November.

The country reported 50,968 new cases on Friday.

Last week, a number of other countries placed new travel restrictions on the UK.

Italy announced it would require people travelling from Britain to show proof of full vaccination or recent recovery for anyone aged 12 or over, also known as a super green pass.

People aged 12 and older travelling to France need to show a negative Covid-19 test result carried out less than 48 hours before departure in order to enter, including if they have been double vaccinated. The same applies for the US.

Ireland requires a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before arrival or a lateral flow test to be taken 48 hours before arrival. This rule applies to all people aged 12 and older.

In late November, Switzerland implemented new restrictions on travellers from the UK which require people to self-isolate and show a negative Covid-19 on arrival.

Additional reporting by Reuters