On Friday 2nd July, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, travelled to the UK to meet with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. During their meeting at Chequers, Johnson’s Buckinghamshire residence, they discussed the current COVID-19 travel restrictions for UK arrivals entering Germany and hopes of re-opening Germany to fully jabbed UK visitors. Following the meeting, on Wednesday 7th July, the UK was made a "high-incidence area" rather than a "virus variant area", allowing the existing restrictions placed on travellers to be eased.
The announcement came as a surprise for many, given that in May, Merkel adopted strict restrictions in response to the spread of the Delta variant, which is now also rising throughout Germany. She advised EU leaders to do the same and impose tougher quarantine rules on Britons, regardless of their vaccination status, due to the high number of Delta variant cases in the UK.
Germany had therefore classified the UK as a “virus variant area” and travel from the UK to Germany was largely banned. Additionally, those who could enter Germany had to undergo a 14-day quarantine, even if they were double-vaccinated.
However, during her talks with Johnson, Merkel changed her tune somewhat and raised hopes for holidays in Germany for those who have received two doses of a vaccine.
Merkel said that the government is continuously reviewing travel restrictions and that in “the foreseeable future, those who have received double jabs […] will be able to travel again without having to go into quarantine.”
Merkel's words were then realised on the 7th July when the UK, alongside Portugal, India, Nepal and Russia, was removed from the "virus variant area list" and instead made a "high-incidence area". This means that anyone can now enter Germany from the UK, not just German citizens and residents. Whilst double-vaccinated people no longer have to quarantine, those who are not vaccinated must isolate for 10 days, or be able to present a negative test on their 5th day of quarantine. This decision to downgrade the risk status of the UK is due to the share of the Delta variant increasing in Germany.
Despite putting travel back on the horizon, Merkel did express “grave concern” to Johnson about the number of football fans attending the Euro 2020 matches at Wembley Stadium, stating that in Germany, we “have less people attend games in the Munich stadium.”