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The events follow the discovery of a highly contagious new variant of the coronavirus in the UK. The EU is working on a plan to cut off traffic with the island.
Due to the highly contagious Corona mutation in Britain, Germany and the European Union are cracking down. As announced by a federal government spokesperson at the request of t-online, travel to and from Great Britain will be closed in the near future. A corresponding regulation is currently being developed. Germany would follow countries like Holland and Belgium, which have already decided. Concerted action is planned across Europe.
“Bild” initially reported on the measures. According to her, bilateral air traffic with Great Britain will be completely cut off at midnight. Federal Minister of Transport Andreas Scheuer (CSU) and Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) have agreed to this. The measure would initially apply until January 6, which would also exclude air travel from the UK during the holidays and the New Year. Something similar is planned for South Africa, where a mutation of the virus was also isolated this week.
At the same time, the federal government is working on a coordinated approach with European partners. In the afternoon, Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and the EU leadership about how to proceed. Macron has called a defense council for Sunday night. The “Bild” quotes an adviser to the German government as saying that Europe must “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.
All German planes must retreat
According to the 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. There should be an exception for cargo flights. 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”. “It may be that air traffic is configured,” federal police wrote on Twitter.
The federal government had not ruled out possible protection measures in air traffic due to the events in Great Britain and South Africa. From circles of the Federal Ministry of Health it was said in the morning that they were “a serious option.” It closely monitors development, is in contact with neighboring European countries and assesses information on the possible variant of the virus under high pressure.
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. Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasized Saturday that there was no evidence that vaccines against the mutation were less effective.
Netherlands imposes ban on flights to Britain
The Netherlands has already imposed a ban on flights to and from Great Britain until Sunday, January 1. Belgium wants to suspend flights and train connections from Britain for at least 24 hours starting at midnight. France is also considering suspending flights and trains from Britain, reports the BFM television network. An official decision is expected Sunday. Similar steps are being prepared in Italy, Israel and Austria.
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.
