One after the other, a number of European Union nations banned flights from the U.Ok. on Sunday and others had been contemplating such motion, all in hopes of blocking a brand new pressure of coronavirus sweeping throughout southern England from establishing a powerful foothold on the continent.
Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Italy all introduced restrictions on U.Ok. journey.
A authorities spokesperson in Germany stated the nation is engaged on a regulation to limit journey between Germany and Britain to guard the nation from the brand new coronavirus variant. The federal government stated it was involved with its European companions concerning the journey restrictions, too. It wasn’t instantly clear when or for a way lengthy the restrictions could be.
Germany stated it can additionally prohibit journey to and from South Africa.
The Netherlands banned flights from the U.Ok. for at the least the remainder of the yr, whereas Belgium issued a flight ban for twenty-four hours beginning at midnight and in addition halted prepare hyperlinks to Britain, together with the Eurostar. Austria and Italy stated they might halt flights from the U.Ok., however didn’t say precisely when that will happen.
Italian Overseas Minister Luigi Di Maio stated on Twitter that the federal government was making ready the ban “to guard Italians” from the brand new coronavirus variant. About two dozen flights had been scheduled to reach in Italy from the U.Ok. on Sunday, most within the northern area of Lombardy but additionally to Venice and Rome.
The Czech Republic imposed stricter quarantine measures from individuals arriving from Britain. An EU official, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of the talks had been nonetheless ongoing, stated Sunday afternoon that the European Fee was in contact with member states on the quickly creating state of affairs.
Simply days earlier than Christmas, high-speed prepare operator Eurostar cancelled its trains between London, Brussels and Amsterdam starting Monday, but it surely saved trains working on the London-to-Paris route.
The EU governments stated they had been taking motion in response to harder measures imposed Saturday by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on London and its surrounding areas.
‘No proof’ new pressure is extra deadly
Johnson instantly put these areas into a brand new Tier 4 stage of restrictions, saying {that a} fast-moving new variant of the virus may be driving the fast unfold of recent infections in London and southern England.
“There isn’t any proof to recommend it’s extra deadly or causes extra extreme sickness,” the British prime minister pressured, or that vaccines will probably be much less efficient towards it.
WATCH | British virologist explains why there is no such thing as a want to fret about new coronavirus variant:
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo stated Sunday stated he was issuing the flight ban for twenty-four hours beginning at midnight “out of precaution.”
“There are an incredible many questions on this new mutation,” he stated, including he hoped to have extra readability by Tuesday.
WHO in ‘shut contact’ with U.Ok. officers
The World Well being Group tweeted late Saturday, “We’re in shut contact with U.Ok. officers on the brand new #COVID19 virus variant.” It promised to replace governments and the general public as extra is realized about this variant.
The brand new pressure of coronavirus was recognized in southeastern England in September and has been circulating within the space since, a WHO official advised the BBC on Sunday.
“What we perceive is that it does have elevated transmissibility, when it comes to its skill to unfold,” stated Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19.
Research are underway to raised perceive how briskly it spreads and whether or not “it is associated to the variant itself, or a mix of things with behaviour,” she stated.
Van Kerkhove stated the pressure had additionally been recognized in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia, the place there was one case that didn’t unfold additional.
Limiting unfold would minimize probabilities of mutation
“The longer this virus spreads, the extra alternatives it has to vary,” she stated. “So we actually must do every thing we are able to proper now to stop unfold, and minimizing that unfold will scale back the probabilities of it altering.”
Viruses mutate usually, and scientists have discovered 1000’s of various mutations amongst samples of the virus inflicting COVID-19. However many of those modifications don’t have any impact on how simply the virus spreads or how extreme signs are.
Europe has been walloped this fall by hovering new infections and deaths resulting from a resurgence of the virus, and many countries have reimposed a sequence of restrictions to rein of their outbreaks.
Britain has seen greater than 67,000 deaths within the pandemic, the second-highest confirmed toll in Europe after Italy.
Johnson on Saturday closed all non-essential outlets, hairdressers, gyms and swimming pools and advised Britons to reorganize their vacation plans. Mixing of households just isn’t allowed indoors in Tier 4 areas, together with London, and solely important journey is permitted into and out of such areas.
In the remainder of England, individuals will probably be allowed to satisfy in Christmas bubbles for simply in the future as an alternative of the 5 that had been deliberate.