Germany will impose a quarantine on people arriving from Britain due to the spread there of the coronavirus variant first found in India, the Robert Koch health institute said Friday.

From Sunday, all travellers arriving from the UK will have to submit to a quarantine period of two weeks, regardless of whether they can provide a negative test result for the virus.

Only German citizens and residents of Germany will be allowed to enter from Britain, with air, rail and bus companies banned from transporting all other passengers from the country.

The Robert Koch Institute is a government agency and its recommendations will automatically be adopted by the German government.

Only eleven other countries, in Asia, Africa and Latin America, are currently listed by Germany in the high-risk category of zones where virus variants are circulating.

The Indian variant B.1.617.2 is regarded as especially contagious and has been one factor driving the explosion in coronavirus infections in India in recent months.

According to British Health Secretary Matt Hancock, speaking Wednesday, 2,967 cases linked to the variant have been identified in the UK, most notably in London and western England. That figure represents a 30 percent increase since Monday.

But so far the British government has insisted it remains on track to lift virtually all restrictions on public life from June 21, after a successful vaccination campaign.

Prevent Indian variant from spreading

Earlier Friday, German Health Minister Jens Spahn voiced his concern at the situation in Britain, stressing the need to prevent the Indian variant spreading in Germany.

Many Germans were able to visit a beer garden, dine outdoors or go swimming for the first time in months on Friday as parts of the country began easing Covid-19 curbs.

Spahn said that Germany has broken the third wave of infections but urged the public to remain careful.

“The pandemic is not over yet. Let’s enjoy the holidays, but let’s remain cautious,” he said, advising people to meet outdoors where possible and get tested regularly.

“Infection figures down, vaccination figures up — if we can manage this combination in the next few weeks, we can look forward to a good summer.”

The Robert Koch Institute on Friday recorded 8,769 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours and 226 deaths, with a national incidence rate of 67.3 new infections per 100,000 people over the past seven days.

Source: AFP