Health

Visitors from UK to Germany must enter 14-day mandatory quarantine

Germany is tightening travel restrictions for people coming from Britain in response to the rapid spread of the omicron variant there.

The country’s national disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, added Britain to its list of “virus variant areas” late Saturday. This means anyone traveling from the UK to Germany must enter a mandatory quarantine for 14 days, regardless of vaccination status.

Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.

The new restrictions, which will go into effect at midnight on Sunday, come as the UK reports a record high number of new coronavirus infections. On Saturday, the country saw 90,418 new cases.
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The UK joins eight African countries, including South Africa, on Germany’s list of “virus variant areas.”

The Robert Koch Institute’s announcement comes in the wake of tightened restrictions for other countries across Europe as the continent faces a fourth wave of infections.

Starting Sunday, France, and Denmark are considered “high risk areas,” meaning those who are not vaccinated or recovered from the virus must quarantine for 10 days. Dozens of countries, including nearly all of Germany’s direct neighbors, have now been added to this category.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased obesity in school-aged children in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) office for the region said in a new report issued on Wednesday, sounding the alarm for action.

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‘Just in case’ use of antibiotics was rife during COVID-19, says UN health agency

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Health

Teen alcohol and nicotine use in Europe is up, WHO urges preventive measures

Substance use is on the rise among teenagers in Europe, Central Asia and Canada and girls now match or even exceed boys when it comes to smoking and drinking, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report on Thursday.