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Netherlands bans flights from Great Britain
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Netherlands bans flights from Britain due to new corona mutation
Source: dpa / Nam Y. Huh
Following the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus in Great Britain, passenger planes from the United Kingdom can no longer land in the Netherlands. This regulation applies from Sunday morning until January 1.
ORTo prevent the spread of a new variant of the coronavirus that has appeared in Britain, passenger planes from the UK are no longer allowed to land in the Netherlands for the time being. This regulation applies from Sunday morning until January 1, the government said in The Hague. He also announced that a case of the new mutation, which appears to be particularly contagious, has also been discovered in the Netherlands.
“A contagious mutation of the coronavirus is circulating in the UK. It should spread easier and faster and be more difficult to discover, ”said the Dutch Ministry of Health. Therefore, the national health authority had recommended “to avoid as far as possible the penetration of this variant of the virus from Great Britain”. That is why Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s cabinet decided to ban flights from Britain “as a precaution.”
The flight ban should take effect on Sunday at 6 a.m. and will run until January 1. Possible rules for other trafficking routes are currently being reviewed, the Health Ministry said. In addition, other EU countries should be consulted on measures that could be taken to prevent or limit the spread of the new crown mutation.
In any case, travel should be avoided if possible, the ministry appealed to the Dutch, who are currently in a difficult lockdown: among other things, schools and all shops that are not necessary for daily use will be closed until mid from January.
As for the case of the crown with the new mutation that occurred in the Netherlands, the ministry said it was discovered in early December. According to initial results, it is “the variant described in Great Britain”. Currently, experts are checking how this infection occurred and if there are any related cases.
The British government imposed a curfew in London and the south-east of England on Saturday after the discovery of the new variant of the coronavirus, which is attributed a sharp increase in the number of infections in the south of England.
Based on initial findings, the new virus mutation is “up to 70 percent more contagious” than the previously widespread form, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. So far, however, nothing indicates “that it is more deadly or causes a more serious form of the disease.” The effectiveness of the vaccines will not be affected by the new strain of the virus, Johnson said.
