Countries halt travel from UK as new coronavirus strain spreads

The United Kingdom was shut off from much of Europe after its closest allies cut transport ties due to fears about a new strain of the coronavirus, sowing chaos for families and companies just days before it exits the European Union’s orbit. France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Israel, Canada, Russia, India and Hong Kong shut off travel ties after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that a highly infectious new strain of the virus was a danger to the country. Johnson will chair an emergency response meeting on Monday to discuss international travel, in particular the flow of freight in and out of Britain. France shut its border to arrivals of people and trucks from the United Kingdom, closing off one of the most important trade arteries with Europe, a step Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said was surprising. Hong Kong to ban flights from Britain after worsening outbreak The ban on all but unaccompanied freight crossing to France comes as companies scramble to shift merchandise with days to go until December 31, when Britain finally quits European Union trade structures in the wake of Brexit. “Sick Man of Europe”, the Daily Mirror newspaper said on its front page beside a picture of Johnson while the Sun newspaper said “French show no merci”. MIRROR: Sick man of Europe #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/AAZJme6LcD — Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 21, 2020 Alarm bells were ringing across Europe – which last week became the first region in the world to pass 500,000 deaths from Covid-19 since the pandemic broke out a year ago – as the new, even more infectious strain of the virus appeared to be raging in parts of Britain. A WHO spokeswoman said that “across Europe, where transmission is intense and widespread, countries need to redouble their control and prevention approaches”. Are new coronavirus strains cause for concern? A German government source said restrictions on air travel from Britain could be adopted by the entire 27-member EU and that countries were also discussing a joint response over sea, road and rail links. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel held a conference call on Sunday about the matter, Macron’s office said. Later on Sunday, bans on flights from Britain were being implemented in the Americas, including by Canada, Chile and Argentina. US officials however signalled they were holding off on the move for now, as did Australia. More countries closed their borders to Britain on Monday, including India and Russia. Other countries banning travel on Monday included Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, El Salvador, Argentina, Chile and Morocco. Australia said two people who travelled from the United Kingdom to New South Wales state were found to be carrying the mutated virus. Despite growing concerns about the new strain, EU experts believe it will not impact the effectiveness of existing vaccines, Germany’s health minister Jens Spahn said. The assessment was shared by Britain’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty. Johnson said the infectiousness of the new strain had forced him into locking down much of England over the Christmas period. “Unfortunately the new strain was out of control. We have got to get it under control,” UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News after Johnson abandoned plans to ease containment measures over the festive season. Officials aren’t certain whether it originated in the UK, said Patrick Vallance, the British government’s chief scientific adviser. But by December, he said it was causing over 60 per cent of infections in London. Scientists first discovered the new variant – which they believe is 70 per cent more transmissible – in a patient in September. And Public Health England notified the government on Friday when modelling revealed its full seriousness. The novel coronavirus has killed more than 1.68 million people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from US-based Johns Hopkins University. And with the onset of colder winter weather in the northern hemisphere, when respiratory diseases flourish, countries are bracing for new waves of Covid-19 with tighter restrictions, despite the economic damage such lockdowns wrought earlier this year. Culled mink rise from graves in Denmark after botched mass burial The Netherlands is under a five-week lockdown until mid-January with schools and all non-essential shops closed. Italy also announced a new regime of restrictions until January 6 that included limits on people leaving their homes more than once a day, closing non-essential shops, bars and restaurants and curbs on regional travel. Europe is expected to start a massive vaccination campaign after Christmas following the United States and Britain, which have begun giving jabs with an approved Pfizer-BioNTech shot, one of several leading candidates. Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Reuters

Countries halt travel from UK as new coronavirus strain spreads

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} UK to hold virus crisis talks after France closes border Recently discovered strain up to 70 per cent more contagious

UK to hold virus crisis talks after France closes border

Recently discovered strain up to 70 per cent more contagious