Germany announced on Friday that it was imposing new travel restrictions in an effort to stem the spread of more contagious coronavirus variants.
Details: All non-German residents traveling from countries considered to be “areas of varying concern”, including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Portugal, Ireland, Brazil, Lesotho and Eswatini, will be prohibited from entering the country, even if the test is negative for the coronavirus.
- The restrictions take effect over the weekend and will remain in effect until at least February 17.
- There are some exemptions for healthcare professionals and some special cases.
The big picture: Several mutant strains of SARS-CoV-2 that are more contagious have been detected in several countries.
- Variant B.1.1.7, first detected in the United Kingdom, spread rapidly across Europe.
- This variant forced a Berlin hospital to close on January 23, reports Reuters.
- Germany recorded more than 2.2 million cases and 56,286 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Go deeper: Coronavirus variants require a tougher response