Germany on Tuesday December 22, extended a ban on arrivals from Britain, Northern Ireland and South Africa until 6 January after a new more infectious Coronavirus strain were detected in the countries.

The health ministry which made the announcement, said people who have valid residency permits for Germany could return from January 1.

The statement read;

“The transport ban covers passenger traffic by train, bus, ship, and flights directly from these countries.

“The order covers the period from December 22, 2020 until January 6, 2021.”

The health ministry which further directed travellers who arrived from the affected countries or who spent time there in the last 10 days to undergo Coronavirus tests, added that existing quarantine rules for arrivals from risk areas continue to apply.

AFP reported that the Health Minister Jens Spahn said that “as long as it is possible”, Germany aimed to prevent “potentially dangerous virus mutations from spreading in continental Europe”.

EU ambassadors are expected to meet Tuesday to try to thrash out a unified approach and work out how to eventually lift the border restrictions with Britain — including by imposing a requirement for tests on all arrivals.