German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson: They met on Friday to discuss the delta variant of the covid-19 virus (Omer Messinger/Freelancer/Getty Images)
the Queen Queen Elizabeth II You will receive the Chancellor of Germany, Angela MerkelOn Friday at Windsor Castle, 40 km from London.
The royal house said in a statement that the meeting between the British monarch and the German prime minister, who will step down after the parliamentary elections in September, will take place in the afternoon.
The two actually met in June at the G7 leaders summit held in Carbis Bay, southwest England.
Merkel will also meet the British prime minister on Friday. Boris Johnson, who will receive her at Checkers, the country residence of British heads of government northwest of London.
Among the topics of discussion will be pandemic from covid-19.
The German chancellor is pressing 27 European Union countries to order quarantines for travelers arriving from the United Kingdom, in order to avoid the delta variant of the coronavirus.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said, Thursday, that Germany believes that the delta type of coronavirus will account for up to 80% of infections this month and could ease travel restrictions in countries such as Portugal and the United Kingdom, where it is already dominated.
The minister said at a press conference that Germany may lower the 14-day quarantine requirement it imposes on travelers from countries with high levels of the delta variable once it learns that vaccinated people are protected.
Spahn said a decision could be issued soon, without giving details.
Later on Thursday, Germany’s vaccination committee Steko said British studies show two doses of the vaccine appear to provide the same amount of protection against the delta variant as other Covid-19 variants.
He reiterated the importance of speeding up vaccinations, noting that 37% of the German population had already received two doses and 55% had received the first.
Currently, about half of Germany’s coronavirus cases are delta-type, and Spahn said it will prevail later this month.
Last week, Germany declared Portugal and Russia “different virus regions”, which means that only residents can enter German territory from these countries, and they still face a two-week mandatory quarantine, even if they are fully vaccinated or undergo negative tests.
This action prompted German tourists to rush home and airlines to cancel flights.
Germany has also classified the UK as a “viral shifting region”.
