Germany restricts travel from virus variant countries

Germany will impose restrictions on travel from Brazil, Britain, Portugal and South Africa, the countries in which more infectious variants of the coronavirus are in wide circulation, according to a draft government regulation seen by Reuters.

"In addition to existing test and quarantine rules ... a temporary limitation shall be imposed on carriage of travellers from countries designated as regions with variants," reads the regulation.

Health officials have grown increasingly worried about the new variants which, by being more infectious and spreading more quickly, are able more rapidly to bring health systems to a point of overload.

Other European Union governments are considering similar measures, the government document added.