New Strain Of Coronavirus “Out Of Control”, Countries Ban Travel From U.K
Austria is also preparing to ban UK travellers, according to its health ministry, while Ireland is considering sweeping curbs on passenger flights and ferries.
EU countries including Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands have announced bans on flights from the UK following the sharp rise in coronavirus cases caused in part by a more infectious new strain, and other capitals are discussing similar measures.
Rome has informed the UK government of plans to suspend flights from the country, Italy’s foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said on social media on Sunday. The Dutch government said it was stopping flights from the UK starting 6am CET on Sunday, and the Belgian prime minister announced a plan for air and rail travel bans.
Austria is also preparing to ban UK travellers, according to its health ministry, while Ireland is considering sweeping curbs on passenger flights and ferries.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Twitter said the government was preparing the ban “to protect Italians” from the new coronavirus variant. About two dozen flights were scheduled to arrive in Italy on Sunday, most in the northern region of Lombardy but also to Venice and Rome.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD KASHMIR NEWS MOBILE APPLICATION
- Tough measures in UK
The EU governments said they were taking action in response to tougher measures imposed on Saturday by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on London and its surrounding areas.
Johnson immediately put those regions into a new Tier 4 restriction level, upending Christmas plans for millions.
Johnson said a fast-moving new variant of the virus that is 70 percent more transmissible than existing strains appeared to be driving the rapid spread of new infections in London and southern England.
But he added “there’s no evidence to suggest it is more lethal or causes more severe illness,” or that vaccines will be less effective against it.
The World Health Organization (WHO) tweeted late on Saturday it was “in close contact with U.K. officials on the new #COVID19 virus variant” and promised to update governments and the public as more is learned.
The new strain was identified in southeastern England in September and has been circulating in the area ever since, a WHO official told the BBC on Sunday.
“What we understand is that it does have increased transmissibility, in terms of its ability to spread,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19.
Studies are under way to better understand how fast it spreads and and whether “it’s related to the variant itself, or a combination of factors with behavior,” she added.
She said the strain had also been identified in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia, where there was one case that didn’t spread further.
“The longer this virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to change,” she said. “So we really need to do everything we can right now to prevent spread, and minimizing that spread will reduce the chances of it changing.”
SOURCE : NEWS AGENCIES