As of January 4, 2022, Germany will remove Britain off its list of “virus variant” countries, reopening its borders to British visitors.
Due to the advent of the Omicron variation of COVID-19, the government labeled Britain as a “virus variant” country as of December 20, 2021, throwing many people’s Christmas and New Year travel plans into disarray.
The “viral variant” list is comparable to a “red list,” and it practically prohibits travel from the affected country.
It means that even if fully vaccinated, access is restricted to German nationals and residents, who must present a negative PCR test before departing for Germany and then face a two-week quarantine period upon arrival.
The country’s Robert Koch Institute, however, downgraded Britain to a “high risk” country on December 30, 2021, after Omicron became dominant across Europe. It is also downgrading all other countries, including eight African countries, from “virus variant” to “high risk.”
On January 4, 2022, all of the modifications will take effect. Changes could be made at any time, according to the RKI.
Since the end of November, Germany has documented 16,748 cases of COVID-19’s Omicron strain. On December 29, 2021, it recorded around 42,000 COVID-19 instances, while the RKI noted that data throughout the Christmas and New Year holiday period is unreliable. In comparison, both France and the United Kingdom recorded over 200,000 cases on the same day.
Travelers from “high-risk” nations are allowed to enter Germany without restriction if they can show proof of full immunization or recovery from COVID-19.
Visitors who have not been vaccinated must stay in quarantine for ten days after arriving, but can test to be released after five days. All passengers arriving from countries classified as “high risk” must also complete a passenger locating form.
The advent of the Omicron variety, as well as the fast enactment of travel restrictions by numerous countries, has slowed airline recovery. Several airlines have cut flights, including Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) and Ryanair, while a wave of Omicron infections among personnel has disrupted US carriers.
