Trucks line the A20 to enter Dover Harbor in Kent.
Gareth Fuller | PA Images via Getty Images
LONDON – A new highly contagious variant of coronavirus is causing countries in Europe and elsewhere to block travel to the UK.
The UK warned last week of a new variant of coronavirus that is believed to be up to 70% more communicable than the original strain of the disease. According to the World Health Organization, the new variant has been identified so far in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia.
News of this strain has forced the British government to withdraw plans to allow families to interfere at Christmas, blocking London and other areas in southern England, where Covid mutation infections are highly concentrated.
Over the weekend, several countries announced plans to close their borders to Britain. In Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands have restricted flights from the UK, while Austria and Sweden are preparing to do the same.
France has banned people and the transport of goods from the UK, whether by road, air, sea or rail, for 48 hours on Sunday evening. The port of Dover has also been closed to all vehicle traffic leaving the UK, according to a statement from authorities. The move is expected to cause spare miles for trucks.
On Monday, British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it was “slightly surprising” that France had closed its border for freight transport.
Meanwhile, the German government has suspended all flights from the UK since midnight on Sunday. German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the British virus mutation had not yet been identified in the country.
Belgium’s ban prevents flights and trains – including the popular Eurostar high-speed rail service – from arriving in the UK. Meanwhile, Italy blocked all flights in the country until January 6, with the Italian Ministry of Health declaring the first case of the new virus had been reported in Rome. The Netherlands has banned flights from the UK until January 1.
Ireland, which usually has significant passenger traffic with the UK at this time of year, has announced that flights arriving from England, Wales and Scotland will be banned for at least 48 hours from midnight.
Crisis meeting
The UK government said it would hold a crisis meeting on Monday to discuss the situation on international travel. The European Council is expected to hold talks on a coordinated EU response to the new Covid variant at 10 am London time.
The situation could further complicate talks on Brexit. The UK and the European Union remain deadlocked in post-Brexit trade relations as the deadline of 31 December approaches, with disputes over issues such as fisheries affecting negotiations. The pound fell sharply against the dollar, falling 1.2% to about $ 1.34.
Other countries, including Canada and Israel, have also imposed new measures banning flights from the United Kingdom
What is the new variant of coronavirus?
Professor Chris Whitty, England’s medical director, said on Saturday that Britain had identified a new Covid variant that could “spread faster” than previous strains.
It is unclear whether the new strain will spread more easily, make people sick or change the way their immune systems respond to the virus if they have already been infected or vaccinated. To date, Whitty said, studies suggest that the new strain is more transmissible, but there is no evidence to suggest that it causes a higher mortality rate.
Whitty added that there is a “functional assumption” that vaccines should continue to work against the mutant strain.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday that the new variant had been “out of control” and suggested that it could be months before strict coronavirus restrictions were lifted.
“The new option is out of control and we have to control it,” Hancock told the BBC’s Andrew Marr on Sunday.
“Basically, we need to get that vaccine to keep people safe,” Hancock said in a separate interview with Sky News.
“I think, given how quickly this new variant is spreading, it will be very difficult to keep it under control until we launch the vaccine.”
The UK was the first country to launch a state-of-the-art Covid vaccine – one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. Vaccines are only given to the most vulnerable people in the UK today and it is not clear when they will become more available.