GERMANY BANS BRITS ...OH WELL, SPAIN ISN'T TOO BAD!

GERMANY has closed its borders to British tourists over concerns about the spread of the Indian variant – but Spain will start to welcome them back from tomorrow.

- Tony Whitfield

From today, only German citizens or residents of Germany travelling from the UK will be allowed in and must all quarantine for 14 days, even if they test negative.

But Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said his country would be “extremely delighted” to receive British tourists, without restrictions, from tomorrow.

Germany’s ban on British visitors, unless for exceptional personal reasons such as a bereavement, came after its public health agency designated the UK as a virus variant area of concern.

The UK is the only European country to have such a designation.

A spokesman for the German health ministry said: “This move is tough for the UK but it is necessary to prevent the rapid spread of the Indian variant in Germany. Only when more people have been vaccinated are we armed against such dangers.”

Around 10.9 million Germans, or just over 13 per cent of the population, have received both vaccine doses and 32.7 million or 39 per cent have had their first.

Spain’s decision to lift restrictions on British holidaymakers, its largest group with over 18 million visiting in 2019, was welcomed by its hard-hit tourism industry.