Corona mutation: for the moment, no more flight bans or border closures – Coronavirus Vienna

Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) told a news conference in Vienna on Monday that the landing ban was imposed on Britain “as a precautionary measure” until the mutation has been scientifically investigated in detail.

Information that the new variant of the virus is easier to transmit has to be verified by scientists, but the good news is that “the mutation apparently has no effect on our vaccination policy,” the chancellor said. Compared to other countries, “extremely strict measures” already exist, Schallenberg said, every person entering the country must be in mandatory quarantine and can only be released after at least five days.

People arriving from Britain who arrive on Monday before the midnight landing ban takes effect will also be closely monitored, he stressed. Since December 19, all travelers from Britain have had to be quarantined for at least five days after entering the country.

The British government has justified a stricter lockdown on England during the Christmas season with the discovery of the virus mutation. According to her, the crown mutation is 70 percent more contagious than the original variant. The new variant of the virus has already been detected in other countries, including Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark.