Status: 07/28/2021 5:20 p.m.
England overturns the quarantine requirement when entering from Germany as well as some other EU countries and the USA. Complete vaccination is required. The regulation should come into force on Monday night.
As early as next week, the quarantine requirement when entering England for many EU citizens and passengers from the United States will no longer apply. The British Transport Minister Grant Shapps announced on Twitter. Several media had previously reported about it.
Great Britain arranges its risk assessment with regard to the corona infection occurrence in other countries according to color: red as the most dangerous level, followed by orange and green. Citizens from the orange states, including Germany, have so far had to go into quarantine for at least five days after entering the UK.
A negative test is still a prerequisite
This quarantine obligation should be dropped from Monday night, Shapps said. A complete vaccination with a vaccine approved in the EU or the USA is required. The only exemptions were people who had received the vaccine in the UK.
Before leaving, those affected would still have to show a negative corona test and also have to be tested again two days after entering the country, reported the BBC UK. France will be exempted from these easing, as the EU country is maintaining its strict quarantine regulations for the time being.
Quarantine for level red remains
For those entering from high-risk areas, i.e. the red countries, nothing will likely change. The people concerned must continue to quarantine for ten days – at their own expense.
Since the corona policy in the United Kingdom is a country matter, the rules will initially only apply to England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could follow suit, however.
Motives for the easing unclear
The British media have made different assumptions about the motives behind the easing. The BBC said the UK government wanted to make it easier for family members and friends who live or work in different countries to see each other again. The Times reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson fears that the UK is falling behind other countries and is threatening to lose its bonus due to the vaccination campaign that started early. And in the “Guardian” again it is said that the initiative for the relief came from Johnson’s ministers.