The French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for a crackdown on Brits to isolate wherever they arrive in the EU.
Macron has joined with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel by pushing for a major crackdown at the EU summit on Thursday.
Merkel told leaders at the summit, “I will lobby for a more co-ordinated approach, particularly with regard to entries from regions where virus variants abound.”
Merkel has warned that the Delta variant could take hold in Europe and undo the progress that has been made.
Speaking to the Bundestag lower house of parliament, she said that cases continue to decline across the 27 European Union nations and vaccinations are increasing.
Merkel added, “But even though there is reason to be hopeful, the pandemic isn’t over, in particular in the world’s poor countries.
“But in Germany and Europe we’re also still moving on thin ice.
“We need to remain vigilant. In particular the newly arising variants, especially now the delta variant, are a warning for us to continue to be careful.”
French President echoed Merkel and said, “We must all be vigilant because the much-talked-about Delta variant is coming, which spreads much more rapidly than the other variants and affects people who are not vaccinated or who only have had one dose.
“For me, one of the issues of discussion is to be really taking co-ordinated decisions in terms of opening of borders to third countries and on recognising vaccines because at this stage we have to limit this to the vaccines that have been approved by the European medical authority.”
Merkel told parliament: “In our country, if you come from Great Britain, you have to go into quarantine – and that’s not the case in every European country, and that’s what I would like to see.”
However, the Environment Secretary George Eustice questioned if the move by both Merkel and Macron is “Justified” given the advanced stage of vaccinations.
Eustice told LBC Radio, “I’m not sure that such an approach would be justified given the highly advanced stage we are currently at now in terms of vaccination, with 80% having had one jab and now 60% having had the second jab.
“I don’t think such a move would be justified but obviously it’s for individual countries to make these judgments.”
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