Germany is expected to announce tighter border controls after leading virologists warned the measures would be necessary to control more contagious variants of COVID-19.

Leaders in Berlin have been considering the policy for weeks and previously put pressure on the European Union for tougher bloc-wide travel rules during a European Council meeting last week.

Germany's Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told reporters that a national policy was being prepared but nothing was definite yet.

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"An entry from areas with variations should not take place, for the protection of our own people," he said ahead of a meeting with his European counterparts on Thursday. 

The rules will reportedly include reinforced controls at Germany's nine land border crossings and "almost zero" flights out of the country's airports.

Following the European Council meeting, Brussels told nations an "essential travel only" policy should be in place across the bloc, but so far most borders have remained open without any concrete EU-wide controls in place.

Germany has already enforced a partial entry ban for travelers from the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Brazil and Portugal. A final decision on the new measures is expected to be announced on Friday morning.