BERLIN (AP) – Several European Union countries have banned flights from the UK on Sunday, and Germany was considering limiting such flights to ensure that a new strain of coronavirus crossing the south of England does not establish a strong foothold on the continent.
The Netherlands banned flights from the UK for at least the rest of the year, while Belgium issued a 24-hour flight ban from midnight and also cut off train connections to the UK, including Eurostar. Austria and Italy said they would stop flights from the UK, but did not provide details on the timing of the ban.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Twitter that the government was preparing the measure “to protect Italians” from the new variant of the coronavirus. About two dozen flights would arrive on Sunday in Italy, mostly in the northern region of Lombardy, but also in Veneto and Lazio, which include Venice and Rome respectively.
Meanwhile, German officials were considering “serious options” for entry flights from the UK, but have not yet taken action.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic has imposed stricter quarantine measures on people arriving from the UK
EU governments say they are acting in response to tougher measures imposed on Saturday in London and surrounding areas by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He immediately put those regions in a new level of level 4 restrictions, saying that a new rapid variant of the virus, which is 70% more transmissible than existing strains, appears to be leading to the rapid spread of new infections in London and southern England. .
“There is no evidence to suggest that it is more lethal or causes more severe disease,” Johnson said, or that vaccines will be less effective against it.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Sunday that he was issuing a 24-hour flight ban starting at midnight “for precautionary reasons”.
“There are a lot of questions about this new mutation and whether it is already on the continent,” he said. He hoped to have more clarity by Tuesday.
The World Health Organization wrote on Twitter late Saturday that “We are in close contact with British officials about the new variant of the # COVID19 virus.” He promised to update governments and the public as there is more about this option.
The new strain of coronavirus was identified in the south-east of England in September and has been circulating in the area since then, a WHO official told the BBC on Sunday.
“What we understand is that it has an increased transmissibility in terms of its ability to spread,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical director for COVID-19.
Studies are underway to better understand how fast it spreads and whether “it is related to the variant itself or a combination of behavioral factors,” she said.
She said the strain was also identified in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia, where there was a case that did not spread further.
“The more this virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to change,” she said. “So we need to do everything we can right now to prevent the spread, and minimizing the spread will reduce the chances of it changing.”
Susan Hopkins of Public Health England said that although the version has been circulating since September, it was only this week that officials felt they had enough evidence to say it was more transmissible than other circulating viruses. The strain has spread to other parts of the UK, but in smaller quantities than in London and surrounding areas, she told the BBC.
Germany has not yet specified a ban, but is considering limiting or stopping flights from the UK, the dpa news agency reported on Sunday. A senior German official told dpa that restrictions on flights from the UK were a “serious option”.
Europe has been covered this fall by rising new infections and deaths due to the recurrence of the virus, and many nations have reintroduced a number of restrictions to rule their homes.
The UK recorded more than 67,000 deaths from the pandemic, the second highest confirmed value in Europe after Italy.
Johnson closed all non-essential shops, hairdressers, gyms and swimming pools on Saturday and told the British to reorganize their holiday plans. It is now not allowed to mix households indoors in level 4 areas, including London, and only essential travel is allowed to and from these areas. In the rest of England, people will be allowed to meet in Christmas bubbles for just one day instead of the five planned.
Also on Saturday, a video appeared showing a crowd of people hurrying to London stations, apparently taking a break for seats in the UK with less stringent restrictions on coronavirus before the new rules come into force. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said “those scenes were totally irresponsible.”
“We in government, of course, have a responsibility, but so does every person,” he said. “My plea is that people will play their part. Because only by acting – all of us – can we control this ”.
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Raf Casert in Brussels, Sylvia Hui in London and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to the reporting.