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On this occasion, the EU wants to react quickly to the discovery of a new highly contagious variant of the coronavirus in Great Britain. Tourist traffic with the island is almost stopped.
Due to the highly contagious Corona mutation in Britain, Germany and the European Union are cracking down. Starting at midnight, air traffic between Germany and Great Britain will be almost completely suspended, according to the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Health. The regulation will initially apply until December 31, which also excludes air travel from the UK during the holidays.
The federal government is following countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium, which have already closed their airports to land from the island. In the evening, federal police were ordered to systematically screen travelers from Great Britain and South Africa, where the virus mutation is also rampant. Cargo flights, flights with medical personnel or if the planes only return to Germany with crew on board are still possible. “Bild” initially reported on the measures.
The federal government aims for concerted action across Europe. Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron and EU leaders in the afternoon. The German presidency of the EU Council called an emergency meeting with representatives and experts from other member states on Monday. The “Bild” quoted an adviser to the German government as saying that Europe had to “completely isolate itself” from Great Britain. An EU solution is important, as otherwise there would be too many gateways for the virus to use other transport routes.
A travel restriction for South Africa should be an issue in the federal cabinet on Monday. There will begin a more far-reaching regulation for Great Britain for the period from January 1, as explained by the federal Minister of Health, Jens Spahn, in the ARD.
All German planes must retreat
According to the “Bild” report, the responsible authorities in Germany are currently examining the conditions under which return flights from the UK can still be made. If allowed, these should only be used for German citizens. The aim is not to leave airliners in Britain. In the afternoon, the Federal Police issued an urgent warning against flights to Britain only if it was “absolutely necessary”.
According to initial findings by British scientists, a recently discovered variant of the virus is up to 70 percent more contagious than the previously known form. It is mainly spread in London, in the south-east of England. The UK government expressed concern about the mutation. “It’s out of control and we have to get it back under control,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC on Sunday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasized, however, that there is no evidence that the mutation causes more serious disease courses or a higher death rate or that vaccines against the mutation are less effective.
Netherlands imposes ban on flights to Britain
Several countries went ahead on Sunday: the Netherlands imposed a ban on flights to and from Britain until January 1. Belgium passed a regulation that applies to both flights and train connections and applies for at least 24 hours. This also applies to the Eurostar train through the tunnel under the English Channel.
President Macron chaired a crisis meeting in Paris in the evening on the situation of the corona and the reaction to the new mutation of the coronavirus. After a subsequent meeting of the Defense Council, France imposed an entry ban on travelers from Great Britain. It should be applied from midnight and initially for 48 hours.
Italy wants to suspend air connections with Great Britain, Austria also announced a landing ban. The British parts of Wales and Scotland also tightened restrictions. In Greece, all UK travelers will need to be quarantined for a week from tomorrow. Norway requires a negative corona test. Sweden is also planning travel restrictions. Ireland, Britain’s close neighbor, has banned flights from the UK for at least 48 hours.
Southeast England in strict lockdown
The British government, for its part, imposed severe measures. More than 16 million people are affected, who are only allowed to leave their homes to work and in exceptional cases such as visiting the doctor or doing the shopping. “We are sacrificing the ability to see our loved ones this Christmas to have a better chance of saving their lives and seeing them at Christmas in the future,” Johnson said.
In London and other regions, the new higher level of Corona 4 now applies. Residents cannot leave the area. Following the announcement of the stricter measures, many people spontaneously left on Saturday night to leave London. Photos and videos showed crowded train stations. Minister Hancock did not rule out that the stricter measures would remain in force “in the coming months” until vaccination against the crown has been carried out in all areas.
