Countries ban UK travel in race to block new Covid-19 strain

Travel restrictions, following the identification of the new strain earlier this week, mark new failures in efforts to combat the deadly coronavirus, despite the start of vaccinations in recent days.

The Netherlands moved first, banning all passenger flights in the UK until 1 January. Belgium followed quickly, banning flights and train arrivals of the Eurostar train line, starting at midnight on Sunday, initially for 24 hours.

“This is a precautionary measure and we will see later if we need further action,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Sunday. Both countries continued to allow ferry crossings, but with increased control over passengers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein convened a special cabinet meeting on Sunday to consider an immediate ban on travelers from Britain, Denmark and South Africa, where indications of the new strain have also appeared, the official website said. of Mr. Netanyahu.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a press conference on Saturday that scientists believe that the new variant could be 70% more transmissible than the more established strains. He said there was no evidence that he was more deadly or more resistant to vaccines, despite his faster transmission from person to person.

In response to the discovery, Mr Johnson imposed a new blockade on London and nearby areas in the south-east and east of England. The new measures include banning the mixing of Christmas households.

The new strain of the virus accounted for 62% of new cases identified in London in the week to Wednesday. The Dutch government said on Sunday that it had also discovered by examining a Covid-19 case earlier this month that the strain was present in the Netherlands.

“Following the latest reports in the UK, this case is being investigated further,” the Dutch government said in a statement.

The UK reported the discovery of the new strain on Monday and has already announced the World Health Organization.

The Dutch government intends to consult with other EU governments in the coming days to “explore the possibility of further limiting the risk of the new strain of the virus being brought from the UK,” the statement said.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said later on Sunday that Italy would also ban flights from Britain, although he did not specify when the ban would come into force.

“The United Kingdom has sounded the alarm about a new form of Covid resulting from a mutation in the virus,” Mr Di Maio wrote on his Facebook page. “Our priority is to protect Italy and our compatriots.” Belgium and the Netherlands have recently seen an acceleration in the speed with which coronavirus spreads. Last month, both countries saw an increase in virus cases, although not to the low levels reached in the summer after the first wave.

The UK reported 27,052 new infections daily on Saturday, bringing the total number of known cases in the UK to over 2 million. There are currently nearly 19,000 people in hospital with Covid-19, and the country has reported an average of more than 400 deaths a day in the past seven days.

The UK became the first Western country to start vaccinating people with a clinically approved vaccine earlier this month. Mr Johnson said 350,000 people had now been shot. That’s compared to over 137,000 on December 15th.

EU officials are expected to approve the same vaccine this week and start administering it on 27 December.

Patrick Vallance, the British government’s chief scientific adviser, said on Saturday that the new strain had dislocated the previous ones in parts of England. “This virus is taking off, moving fast and inevitably leading to a sudden increase in hospitalizations,” he said.

—Francis X. Rocca of Rome contributed to this article

Write to Daniel Michaels at [email protected]