New Corona mutation: Netherlands bans flights from Great Britain

A new coronavirus mutation is circulating in the UK. It seems to be particularly contagious. A first case also occurred in the Netherlands. The government has now imposed a ban on flights.

After the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus in the UK, the Netherlands no longer wants to allow UK air passengers to enter. The ban on air traffic with passengers from the United Kingdom will apply from this Sunday until January 1, the Dutch government announced in The Hague.

The RIVM Institute for Environment and Health recommended that the introduction of this UK strain of virus be limited as much as possible by restricting or controlling travel from the UK as much as possible. On this basis, the cabinet decided to suspend air traffic.

Up to 70 percent more contagious

A virus with the variant described in the UK had already been identified in a random sample in the Netherlands in early December, he said. Following the report from Great Britain, this case will be investigated and further examined who was affected, how the infection occurred, and whether related cases are known.

Due to the rapid spread of a new variant of the corona virus in Britain, the British government had imposed a new closure for the capital, London. The recently discovered variant is up to 70 percent more contagious than the previously known form, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday. But there is no evidence that vaccines against the mutation are less effective.