Germany tightens travel restrictions on UK amid Omicron scare

Germany is tightening travel restrictions for people coming from Britain in response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant there.

The country's national disease control centre, the Robert Koch Institute, added Britain to its list of “virus variant areas” late Saturday. This means anyone travelling from the UK to Germany must enter a mandatory quarantine for 14 days, regardless of vaccination status.

The new restrictions, which will go into effect at midnight Sunday, come as the UK reports a record high number of new coronavirus infections. On Saturday, the country saw 90,418 new cases.

The UK joins eight African countries, including South Africa, on Germany's list of “virus variant areas.”

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The Robert Koch Institute's announcement comes in the wake of tightened restrictions for other countries across Europe as the continent faces a fourth wave of infections.

Starting Sunday, France and Denmark are considered “high risk areas,” meaning those who are not vaccinated or recovered from the virus must quarantine for 10 days. Dozens of countries, including nearly all of Germany's direct neighbours, have now been added to this category.

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