Germany lifts pandemic ban on travelers from UK, Portugal

Germany is lifting its coronavirus pandemic ban and loosening restrictions on travelers from the United Kingdom, Portugal and multiple other countries.

The new rules announced on Monday allow vaccinated individuals from designated countries — which also include Russia, India and Nepal — to travel to Germany without having to quarantine, Politico reported.

Unvaccinated individuals will have to quarantine, but the quarantine no longer has to last two weeks if a person obtains a negative COVID-19 test after entering the country.

Individuals from other countries who were not residents of Germany were not allowed to travel there under the previous ban.

Germany is lifting the ban despite a spike in cases in some areas around the world, including the U.K., from the delta variant.

Multiple European nations have begun to lift some travel restrictions as vaccination rates increase.

The Biden administration is also facing pressure to ease its travel restrictions on international travelers as vaccination rates continue to go up.