There will be a ban on carriers such as airlines transporting tourists from the UK to Germany from midnight on Monday. Only German nationals, their partners, children, residents and transit passengers will be allowed to get on a flight from the UK to Germany.
For those who qualify, going to Germany from the UK will require a negative COVID-19 test for entry into the country followed by 14 days of quarantine.
The new rules will apply to everyone, including those who are fully vaccinated.
German Ministers have asked their leader to classify Britain as a virus-variant area.
They said in a statement: “The spread of Omicron in the UK is very evident.
“We have to prevent the spread for as long as possible and slow it down as much as possible.”
The Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases reports that the new measures should protect the country from another surge in Covid cases.
The Institute said the restrictions could last until at least 3 January, PA reports.
Infections rose steeply in Germany through October and November but have been slowly falling since December, with 50,968 reported on Friday.
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On the other hand, the UK reached 90,000 new daily infections on the same day with more than 10,000 new Omicron cases.
The UK Health Security Agency confirmed an additional 10,059 cases of the new variant, three times as many as yesterday (3,201) and taking the total number of Omicron cases to 24,968.
Hospital admissions in England for people with confirmed or suspected Omicron has also increased to 85, from 65.
Government officials are currently drawing up plans for two weeks of stricter restrictions after Christmas, which could include a ban on indoor mixing, according to The Times.
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The new German restrictions come after France announced a ban on travel to and from the UK unless there is a “compelling” reason with tourism and business, not qualifying.
The new policy came into force at 11pm on Friday.
Hauliers, transport workers and French nationals are exempt from the new rules.
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