The Dutch government has imposed a ban on commercial flights from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands after reporting a first case of the new fast-growing Covid-19 strain. The ban will be in force at least until January.
The travel restrictions will apply to all passenger flights in the UK to the Netherlands from local time on Sunday at 6:00 am, the government said in a statement issued hours before the ban came into force.
He described the full ban on air travel for the entire Christmas period as such “precautionary measure” had “limit” the potential exposure of the population to the new strain of the virus, which was first detected in the UK and is thought to be highly contagious.
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Citing data from a local health agency, which recommended the ban, the Dutch government revealed that the strain, believed to be the same that caused the last blockade of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was detected in the Netherlands. “In early December” as part of a case study.
Given the situation in the UK, the government has said it will do so “Investigate further” case to be determined “How the infection came about” on Dutch soil and if there are several cases triggered by the mutant strain.
Although it is only suspending passenger flights for the time being, Amsterdam has not ruled out that the ban will be extended to cover other means of transport.
Cabinet closely monitors developments related to Covid-19 virus abroad and investigates possibilities for additional measures for other means of transport
The Dutch government has also suggested that more restrictions may be imposed on travel from the UK to the European Union to stop the spread of the disease, saying that “Will consider further restricting imports of the virus from the UK” with other members of the bloc “In the coming days.”
The move comes shortly after Johnson effectively canceled Christmas for those living in London, south-east and Peterborough, placing these areas under so-called level 4 restrictions. Those affected by the plan were barred. “Mixing with anyone outside the Christmas household” with Johnson saying the new much-feared strain is to blame for the no-go rule. There is currently no evidence that it is more lethal or more resistant to the vaccine than the previous version of the virus.
Measures to discourage travel have so far had the opposite effect. Filming showed that London’s railway stations were flooded with passengers hoping to reach the last services and escape the Tier 4 area before Saturday’s deadline was reached.
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