Germany will designate the United Kingdom as a variants-prone territory due to the rapid spread of the omicron coronavirus variant, Germany's Robert Koch Institute announced on Saturday.
The judgment is scheduled to take effect Monday. The limits will also apply to the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands, British possessions.
The change places the UK in Germany's highest-risk category.
Individuals entering Germany from virus-infected areas must undergo a two-week quarantine. This rule applies to all travelers, regardless of vaccination status or recovery from coronavirus infection.
The quarantine period is not reduced by presenting a negative coronavirus test.
Why is the United Kingdom included in this category?
According to Germany's Health Ministry, areas of concern for viral variants are locations where a virus variant is prevalent and reasonably thought to pose a specific risk. This indicates that either the variation causes more severe symptoms or that immunization or recovery from the virus provides only a limited level of protection.
The United Kingdom is now battling the rapid spread of the omicron coronavirus strain. On Friday, British officials recorded a record number of new coronavirus infections, totaling over 93,000 and slightly more than 90,000 on Saturday.
Since November 28, several southern African countries, including the United Kingdom, have been classed as virus-variant areas.
Travelers entering Germany from virus-variant areas face more significant restrictions than travelers from "high risk." areas.
Which regions are hazardous?
Travelers entering Germany from high-risk regions must endure a 10-day quarantine period, which can be lowered to five days if a coronavirus test is negative. These limits apply to those not adequately vaccinated and cannot demonstrate that they have already contracted and recovered from the coronavirus.
On Sunday, the German government added France and Denmark to its list of high-risk countries, citing an increase in coronavirus illnesses.
All nations bordering Germany, except Luxembourg, will be classified as high-risk areas under this approach. The designation is also applicable to many other countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Norway, Lebanon, and Andorra were also added to the official Robert Koch Institute list on Friday. Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Albania, North Macedonia, and Moldova have all been delisted.
The ranking is based on the absolute number of coronavirus infections, the virus's rate of transmission, and the burden the virus places on the healthcare system.
