Germany has brought the UK back into its list of Covid-19 risk areas, compounding the impact of the UK’s increase in cases related to what is known as the Indian alternative.
The change, which will take effect on Sunday, is due to the “at least limited incidence” of the B.1.617.2 variable, which was first detected in India by the Robert Koch Institute of the German Health Ministry He said in a press release Friday.
Germany reversed its stance four weeks after removing the United Kingdom from its list of dangerous areas. This alternative threatened the government’s plan to end the lockdown on the pandemic. RKI said the UK was added due to the virus variant rather than the relatively small number of cases compared to the country’s population.
The change means that travelers from the UK must register online before entering Germany and submit a negative coronavirus test to avoid an extended quarantine.
Britain is working to speed up vaccination of people over the age of 50 amid fears of “increased risks” from Indian Prime Minister Boris Johnson He said Friday in London. According to Public Health England, confirmed infections in the UK from the strain more than doubled from 520 to 1,313 in the past week.
Easier spread
While there is no evidence that the variant can escape vaccines, there is evidence that it spreads more easily than the Kent mutation that plagued the UK in early 2021 and led to a third national lockdown.
In contrast, Germany’s national restrictions Could be more relaxing According to a moving average, the number of new cases for the first time in nearly two months decreased to below 100 per 100,000 people.
As vaccinations accelerate, German authorities are increasingly convinced that Europe’s largest economy can ease movement restrictions, including reopening open-air restaurants and easing restrictions on non-essential businesses.
– with help from Deirdre Hipwell
((Adds a possible relaxation of German measures in the last two paragraphs.)
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