In view of the newly discovered Omnikron variant, Great Britain is tightening its entry rules for travelers from all over the world.
All arrivals must take a PCR test on day two after their entry and go into quarantine until they receive a negative test result, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday.
This applies regardless of the vaccination status and should be checked after three weeks.
So far, fully vaccinated people from most countries only had to do a rapid test after entering the country, but no longer had to go into quarantine.
Only a few countries, meanwhile also many African ones, are on the so-called red list.
Returnees from these countries would have to go into a ten-day hotel quarantine at their own expense.
According to several other countries, two cases of the Omnikron variant were also found in Great Britain on Saturday.
The people concerned and their households are in quarantine, and tests will be intensified in the areas, announced British Health Minister Sajid Javid.
The variant B.1.1.529, which was first detected in South Africa and Botswana, was classified as "worrying" on Friday by the World Health Organization (WHO). The EU health authority ECDC speaks of serious concerns that the variant could significantly reduce the effectiveness of the corona vaccines and increase the risk of reinfections. The exact effects of the new variant have not yet been determined.
Despite the worsening situation, the UK government is not yet implementing its emergency “Plan B”.
This provides for vaccination certificates at major events and the recommendation to work from home.
Only the mask requirement indoors - for example in public transport and shops - is to be tightened again.
Apart from that, in Great Britain, despite strict entry rules, it remains the case that there are hardly any corona measures in Germany.