Germany has decided to lift its ban on travellers from India, the UK, and three other countries where the Delta variant of coronavirus has been detected in Covid-19 patients.
The Robert Koch Institute, the German government agency responsible for disease control and prevention, said that India, Nepal, Russia, Portugal and the UK have been downgraded to "high-incidence areas" from the current categorisation of "areas of variant concern." This would make it easier for travellers from these countries to enter Germany. The new rules will come into effect from Wednesday.
The "high-incidence areas" status will allow anyone from these countries to enter Germany provided they produce a negative test on arrival and quarantine on arrival for 10 days. The quarantine period can be shortened to five days if they test negative for Covid-19. The new rules will come into effect from Wednesday.
Travellers from high-incidence areas are also exempt from quarantine if they have been fully vaccinated.
German health minister Jens Spahn had said last week that the federal government will look into the issue of allowing travellers form delta variant-hit countries "in the next few days".
The ban has been lifted as vaccines have been found to be effective against the Delta variant.
"We think that in the foreseeable future, those who have received double jabs will be able to travel again, without having to go into quarantine," German Chancellor Angela Merkel had said on Friday.
Also read: British PM Boris Johnson strongly backs Covishield for green passport
Last month, Dubai eased restrictions on Indian travellers who have received two doses of a UAE-approved Covid-19 vaccine. The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine which is made in India under he Covishield brand on the approved list along with Pfizer and Sputnik V
