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More than a dozen European nations have already banned flights and travelers from Britain, and more are expected to take action on a highly infectious new variant of coronavirus that the UK said was “out of control”.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends a virtual press conference at 10 Downing Street in central London on December 19, 2020. Image: AFP
LONDON – Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to chair a crisis meeting on Monday, as a growing number of countries blocked flights from Britain over a highly infectious new variant of the coronavirus that the UK said was “out of control”.
The World Health Organization also called for stronger containment measures across Europe, which has surpassed 500,000 deaths from COVID-19.
But there was positive news on the other side of the Atlantic, where US lawmakers struck a deal on a nearly $ 900 billion COVID-19 financial package to help struggling Americans.
In London, Johnson called the COBR emergency committee meeting to “discuss the situation regarding international travel, in particular the constant flow of cargo to and from the UK,” a spokesman said.
More than a dozen European nations have already banned flights and travelers from Britain, and more are expected to take action.
Health authorities in former British colonial territory Hong Kong said flights from the UK will be banned from Tuesday.
France, a crucial transit country, moved to block people and goods crossing the English Channel, while the Netherlands said passengers arriving by ferry will be denied entry.
The ban on all cargo cruises to France, except unaccompanied ones, comes at a time when companies are struggling to move merchandise with days to go for Britain to finally abandon European Union trade structures after Brexit.
On Sunday night, Britain’s critical south coast port of Dover said it was closing for all accompanied passengers and cargo due to French border restrictions “until further notice.”
Alarm bells were ringing across Europe as the new, even more infectious variant of the virus appeared to be sweeping parts of Britain.
A WHO spokesperson told AFP that “across Europe, where transmission is intense and widespread, countries must redouble their prevention and control approaches.”
A German government source said restrictions on air travel from Britain could be adopted by the entire 27-member EU and that the countries were also discussing a joint response on sea, road and rail links.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and EU heads Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel held a conference call Sunday on the matter, Macron’s office said.
Later Sunday, flight bans were imposed from Great Britain in the Americas, including Canada, Chile and Argentina.
US officials, however, noted they were halting the move for now, while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was confident the existing 14-day quarantine rules for arrivals were sufficient to handle the threat.
Despite growing concerns about the new variant, EU experts believe that it will not affect the effectiveness of existing vaccines, German health minister Jens Spahn said.
The assessment was shared by British Medical Director Chris Whitty.
UNITED KINGDOM U-TURN
Johnson said the infectiousness of the new variant had forced him to blockade much of England over the Christmas period.
“Unfortunately, the new strain was out of control. We have to get it under control,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News.
Scientists first discovered the new variant, which they believe is 70% more transmissible, in a patient in September. Public Health England notified the government on Friday when the modeling revealed all its seriousness.
The new coronavirus has killed more than 1.68 million people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a count from official sources compiled by AFP.
And with the onset of colder winter weather in the northern hemisphere, when respiratory diseases flourish, countries are preparing for new waves of COVID-19 with tighter restrictions, despite the economic damage such lockdowns caused earlier this year year.
The Netherlands is under a five-week lockdown until mid-January with schools and all non-essential stores 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, closures of nonessential shops, bars and restaurants, and restrictions on regional travel.
In South Korea, authorities in the capital and surrounding regions banned most gatherings of more than five people after an increase in infections left just four empty beds in intensive care units in Seoul.
MOVEMENT OF VACCINES
In the US, the $ 900 billion package agreed on Sunday is expected to include aid for vaccine distribution and logistics, additional unemployment benefits of $ 300 per week, and a new round of $ 600 stimulus checks. .
Congress is expected to pass the measure soon, as the country faces the highest death toll from the virus in the world.
Around the world, the rapid deployment of vaccines is now seen as the only effective way to end the crisis.
Europe is expected to begin a massive vaccination campaign after Christmas, following the United States and Britain that have started hitting with an approved vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech, one of several leading candidates.
A US panel of experts recommended Sunday that people 75 and older should be the next vaccinations against the virus, along with 30 million “essential front-line workers,” including teachers, grocery clerks and police officers. .
Initial doses have focused on frontline healthcare workers and the elderly in nursing homes.
Russia and China have also started giving injections with their own domestically produced vaccines.
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