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Germany, Italy and the Netherlands ordered the suspension of flights from Great Britain.
London:
Britain’s European neighbors began closing their doors to travelers from the UK on Sunday amid alarms over a rapidly spreading strain of coronavirus that has caused cases to skyrocket there.
France said it would ban all people coming from the UK for 48 hours starting Sunday night, including freight carriers, whether by road, air, sea or rail.
Germany, Italy and the Netherlands ordered the suspension of flights from Britain, while Ireland said it would impose restrictions on its neighbor’s flights and ferries.
Belgium said it would close its borders to flights and trains, including the popular Eurostar service, from the UK.
“The recently discovered COVID variant in London is concerning and will need to be investigated by our scientists,” said Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza.
“In the meantime, we choose the path of utmost caution.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that the new strain had caused a skyrocketing rise in infections. His government tightened its COVID-19 restrictions for London and nearby areas, and also reversed plans to ease restrictions over the Christmas period.
The travel restrictions also compound the UK’s problems, as it will finally leave the European Union on December 31 after a transition period this year. So far, London and Brussels have failed to reach a post-Brext trade deal, raising the prospect of freight chaos.
The German government said that all flights from the UK would be suspended from midnight.
“(The virus mutation) has not yet been identified in Germany,” Health Minister Jens Spahn told the public broadcaster ARD. “But of course we take the reports from Britain very seriously.”
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said the ban on inbound travel from Britain covers Eurostar services through the Channel Tunnel and will go into effect for at least 24 hours starting at midnight on Sunday, said the VRT station.
The Italian order blocked any flight leaving Britain and prohibited anyone who had transited it in the past 14 days from entering Italy.
The Netherlands has banned flights carrying passengers from the UK from Sunday and the restrictions will remain in place until January 1, the Dutch government said.
Austria also plans to ban flights from Britain, the APA news agency said, citing the Health Ministry. Sweden said it was preparing a decision to ban entry from the UK.
Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic also announced plans to ban flights from the UK.
LAST ENTRIES
At London’s St. Pancras International Station, the Eurostar terminal, thousands of travelers tried to secure a place on the trains.
“We have the last two innings for today,” said a Frenchman named Leny. “Each had tickets for Monday and Tuesday, respectively. But given the situation and what is happening, we did not want to take any risks. And we were the last to do so.”
The new variant in Britain has turned the battle against the virus waged by many European countries.
Britain’s number of coronavirus cases rose by 35,928 on Sunday, the highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic, and recorded 326 deaths, bringing the official figure to more than 67,000.
In addition to the measures announced for England, the other nations of the United Kingdom, which control their own anti-coronavirus policies, tightened the restrictions. Scotland has imposed a travel ban on the rest of the UK.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
