Germany declares Russia a danger zone for COVID

The Robert Koch Institute, one of Germany's top research institutes subordinate to the Federal Ministry of HEALTH, has declared Russia and Portugal "areas prone to the spread of new variants of coronavirus", this will lead to restrictions on entry conditions, REUTERS reports.

For those arriving in Germany from such zones, a mandatory two-week quarantine is provided. Earlier, the United Kingdom was included in the list of countries where new strains of the virus are spreading.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports, citing the Koch Institute, that the decision to include Russia and Portugal in this list comes into force on Tuesday 29 June.

According to the newspaper, entry from them is allowed to Germans and foreigners living in Germany. Upon arrival, they must go into a strict 14-day quarantine. Its period cannot be reduced, even if the entrants have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, have been ill or have passed a negative test.

At the same time, Germany will exclude the Netherlands, Denmark and Luxembourg from the list of “areas prone to the spread of new variants of the coronavirus”. Travelers from these countries will not need to comply with any restrictions, they will only need a negative PCR test.

Russia resumed flights with Germany on April 1. In the summer, German missions began accepting applications for Schengen visas for those who travel to this country for non-tourist purposes. The embassy warned that the issuance of a visa does not imply the possibility of immediate entry into Germany, subject to current restrictions.

On May 30, the Israeli authorities added Russia to the list of countries with a high level of risk of the spread of coronavirus. On June 23, France made a similar decision, the reason was the spread of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 strain. After that, French visa centers stopped renewing Schengen visas that expired during the pandemic for Russians.