ermany on Friday classed Portugal and Russia as so-called coronavirus variant countries, banning most arrivals from both nations.

From Tuesday, only citizens and residents of Germany will be allowed in from the two countries, with air, rail and bus companies prohibited from transporting other passengers from these places.

Those allowed to enter from Russia and Portugal will be subject to a two-week quarantine, regardless of whether they can provide a negative Covid-19 test.

Fourteen other countries have already been placed in Germany’s highest-risk “virus variant” category.

They include Britain, India, South Africa and Brazil, where highly transmissible strains of Covid-19 are raging.
erman health authorities have issued repeated warnings about the Delta variant, which was first detected in India and which is circulating widely in Britain.

Robert Wieler, who heads the disease control agency RKI, has said the Delta variant is expected to become the dominant strain in Germany by the autumn.
erman Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged fellow EU leaders to take a firm line on travel from Britain to prevent the variant spreading in the bloc.