Merkel wants to see all European countries quarantine
UK arrivals
The Local
news@thelocal.de
@thelocalgermany
23 June
2021
17:24 CEST
https://www.thelocal.de/20210623/merkel-wants-to-see-all-european-countries-quarantine-uk-arrivals/
Speaking in
the Bundestag during a question and answer session on Wednesday, Merkel said
that she would like to see European states enforce a quarantine for people
coming from regions where the more contagious Delta variant is spreading,
including Britain.
“In our
country, if you come from Great Britain, you have to go into quarantine – and
that’s not the case in every European country, and that’s what I would like to
see,” Merkel said.
Germany put
in place a ban on travel from the UK in May – despite high vaccination rates
and a low number of cases at the time – over the spread of the Delta variant,
which was first detected in India.
Other
countries on Germany’s ‘virus variant of concern’ list include India, Brazil
and South Africa.
There are
some exceptions, including for German residents and citizens. But anyone who
does arrive has to follow stricter pre-flight testing rules and quarantine for
14 days on arrival to Germany – regardless of whether they are fully vaccinated
or not.
But there
are different rules across Europe for travel, and particularly when it comes to
UK arrivals. Spain, for instance, still has no restrictions in place for
British tourists.
On Tuesday,
Merkel said it was problematic to have a patchwork of travel regulations in
Europe.
“I regret
that we haven’t managed yet to have completely uniform action among the member
states on travel guidelines – that is coming back to haunt us,” she told
reporters.
Merkel
cited the example of Portugal, where the government this month was forced to
slow the process of post-lockdown reopening in Lisbon and three other municipalities
after a hike in new Covid-19 cases.
‘Delta will
make up 90 percent of cases in Europe’
Dr. Andrea
Ammon, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
(ECDC), said on Wednesday that the Delta variant will likely make up 90 percent
of all Covid cases in EU countries by the end of August.
It is
believed to be between 40-60 percent more transmissible than the Alpha variant
(first detected in Britain) and the current dominant strain in Germany.
“Based on
available scientific evidence, the Delta variant is more transmissible than
other circulating variants and we estimate that by the end of August it will
represent 90 percent of all SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the European
Union,” Ammon said.
“Unfortunately,
preliminary data shows that it can also infect individuals that have received
only one dose of the currently available vaccines.
“It is very
likely that the Delta variant will circulate extensively during the summer,
particularly among younger individuals that are not targeted for vaccination.
This could heighten the risk of more vulnerable individuals being infected and
experiencing severe illness and death if they are not fully vaccinated.
“The good
news is that having received two doses of any of the currently available
vaccines provides high protection against this variant and its consequences.
However, about 30 percent of individuals older than 80 years and about 40
percent of individuals older than 60 years have not yet received a full
vaccination course in the European Union.”
Ammon said
that until vulnerable people are protected, the circulation of the Delta
variant had to be kept as low as possible through public health measures – and
vaccination should continue as fast as possible.
“At this
stage it becomes crucial that the second vaccination dose is administered
within the minimum authorised interval from the first dose, to speed up the
rate at which vulnerable individuals become protected,” said Ammon.
“I am aware
that it requires a significant effort from public health authorities and the
society at large to achieve this goal. But now is the time to walk the extra
mile.”
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