LONDON – German Chancellor Angela Merkel signalled a relaxation of quarantine rules for double-jabbed Britons yesterday following a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in her final trip to Britain as chancellor.
Merkel told a joint news conference at Johnson’s Chequers country residence that Germany is “continuously reviewing” its travel restrictions, the Xinhua news agency reported.
“We assume that in the foreseeable future those who have received double jabs will be able to travel again without having to go into quarantine,” she said.
Due to the fast spread in Britain of the Delta variant of Covid-19 first identified in India, travellers from Britain to Germany are currently required to quarantine for 14 days.
However, Merkel expressed “grave concern” over the number of football fans expected at London’s Wembley Stadium for the final stages of the Euro 2020 tournament.
The crowd capacity at Wembley will be raised to more than 60,000 for the semi-finals and final of Euro 2020, the British government announced last week. That means the stadium will be at 75% capacity.
“But I’m very concerned whether it is not a bit too much,” Merkel said.
In response, Johnson said Britain had built up a “considerable wall of immunity” against Covid-19 with its vaccination programme and that sporting events are being opened up “in a very careful and controlled manner”.
Merkel, who is due to step down following September’s election after nearly 16 years as German chancellor, was later received by British Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.
Britain has reported another 27,125 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,855,169, according to official figures released yesterday.
The country also recorded another 27 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 128,189.
More than 45 million people in Britain have received the first jab of the Covid-19 vaccine and more than 33.2 million people have received two doses, the latest figures showed.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the US as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. – Bernama, July 3, 2021
