Berlin will declare South Africa a virus-infected region

Germany will declare South Africa a virus-infected region today, following the discovery of a new variant of Covid-19, a source in the Ministry of Health said.

The decision, which will take effect tonight, will mean that airlines will only be allowed to transport Germans from South Africa to Germany, according to the source. Returning Germans, even those who have been vaccinated, will then have to be quarantined for 14 days.

“This variant, which was recently discovered, worries us. That is why we are active here from an early age,” said Health Minister Jens Spann. “The last thing we need now is to introduce a new variant that causes even more problems.”

The variant – B.1.1.529 – has a “very unusual concentration” of mutations, which are worrying because they could help it escape the body’s immune response and make it more contagious, say South African scientists.

Source: AMPE