BERLIN: Several European nations France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Romania, Belgium, and Bulgaria have imposed restrictions on travel with the UK, in a bid to stop the spread of a new strain of coronavirus that is up to 70% more infectious.
France announced on Sunday evening that it would suspend all travel from the United Kingdom, including the transport of goods, for 48 hours from 11 pm Sunday. The decision came after French President Emmanuel Macron called an emergency health council meeting to discuss how to react to the UK government tightening Covid-19 measures.
The Netherlands banned flights from the UK for at least the rest of the yr whereas Belgium issued a flight ban for 24 hours beginning at midnight and also halted train links to Britain.
German officials had been considering “severe choices” relating to incoming flights from the UK, but have not yet taken action.
The Netherlands mentioned it’s going to assess “with different European Union nations the chances to comprise the import of the virus from the UK”.
The three EU governments say their response is available in response to harder measures imposed on Saturday in London and surrounding areas by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
He instantly put these areas into a new Tier 4 stage of restrictions, saying {that a} fast-moving new variant of the virus that’s 70 percent more transmissible than current strains seems to be driving the rapid spread of new infections in London and southern England.
“There’s no proof to suggest it’s more lethal or causes more severe sickness,” the British prime minister stressed, or that vaccine will be much less effective against it.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo mentioned on Sunday mentioned he was issuing the flight ban for 24 hours beginning at midnight “out of precaution.”
“There are a great many questions about this new mutation and if it’s not already on the mainland,” he mentioned. He hoped to have extra clarity by Tuesday.
Germany has not but spelled out a ban however is considering limiting or halting flights from the UK as effectively, the DPA news agency reported Sunday. A high-ranking German official told DPA that restrictions on flights from Britain are a “serious possibility”.
Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation EU, was in touch with its neighbors and was following all developments about the new variant closely, DPA reported.
Italy plans to suspend flights to and from Britain over fears of a new strain of the coronavirus detected there, Overseas Minister Luigi di Maio mentioned in a Fb post.
“As a government, we now have the responsibility to guard Italians, because of this, after having notified the British government, with the Ministry of Health we’re about to signal the provision to suspend flights with Great Britain,” Di Maio mentioned.
“Our precedence is to guard Italy and our compatriots.”
Europe has been walloped this fall by hovering new infections and deaths due to a resurgence of the virus, and many countries have reimposed a series of restrictions to the reign of their outbreaks.
Britain has seen more than 67,000 deaths within the pandemic, the second-highest confirmed toll in Europe after Italy.
Johnson on Saturday closed all non-essential shops, hairdressers, gyms, and swimming pools and told Britons to reorganize their vacation plans.
No mixing of households is now allowed indoors in Tier 4 areas, together with London, and a solely essential trip is permitted into and out of such areas. In the rest of England, individuals will probably be allowed to meet in Christmas bubbles for simply one day instead of the 5 that were planned.
