On Saturday, Germany’s regional health ministers requested the federal government to impose stricter regulations on travelers entering from the United Kingdom, where the Omicron coronavirus type has caused an outbreak of infections.

The ministers demanded that Berlin declare Britain as a virus-variant area, which would require persons arriving from the nation to be quarantined for two weeks even if they had been vaccinated.

“The expansion of Omicron in the United Kingdom is obvious… We need to stop the spread for as long as we can and slow it down as much as we can “In a statement, the ministers added.

Britain is currently classified in Germany as a high-risk area, meaning travelers who are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 do not need to a provide a test or quarantine.

Unvaccinated travellers must provide a test and quarantine for at least five days.

Britain has reported record daily COVID-19 infections for the past three days, reaching over 90,000 on Friday.

Infections rose steeply in Germany through October and November, but have been slowly falling since December, with 50,968 reported on Friday.