New Corona travel rules
Government downgrades UK, Portugal and other virus variant areas
Holidaymakers queue at Lisbon airport to get home in time before the new quarantine rules take effect
© Paulo Mumia / DPA
Portugal, the UK and other countries will no longer be considered a virus variant area as of Wednesday. This eliminates the strict quarantine obligation, as the Robert Koch Institute announced.
The federal government has downgraded several virus variant areas and declared them high-incidence areas. As the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced on Monday evening, Portugal, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Russia as well as India and Nepal will no longer be considered a virus variant area from Wednesday. A strict quarantine obligation will no longer apply to returnees from these areas.
Portugal, Great Britain and Russia were considered virus variant areas only since last Wednesday because of the spread of the delta variant. Thus, strict restrictions apply to returnees. Returnees must in any case be quarantined for 14 days, even if they are vaccinated or recovered. They can’t be free.
Especially with regard to the EU country Portugal, the EU Commission had expressed criticism in Brussels. Already on Thursday, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) hinted that the classification as a virus variant area could be reversed. He justified this with the proven effectiveness of a double corona vaccination against the delta variant.
In the meantime, the Delta variant has spread in Germany anyway. Since past Wocher, the RKI assumes that the majority of new infections go back to this mutant.
