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The EU Crisis Management Mechanism committee meets today, Monday at 12 noon, on the subject of the coronavirus mutation in Great Britain. The committee was convened by the German Presidency, after consultations in the EU, in order to have a European coordination on the subject, following the decision of several European countries to cut air connections with the United Kingdom.
In particular, since midnight on Sunday they have cut their air connections with Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Ireland, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Turkey, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Saudi Arabia, El Salvador and Iran. while Austria and Sweden plan to follow. In fact, Belgium also announced the cessation of flights and the termination of the rail connection.
The decision to cut air connections could be taken by the entire European Union, a German government source said on Sunday night, adding that European Union countries are in talks to formulate a common position on maritime connections and terrestrial. with the UK.
Also today, the ambassadors of the member states of the European Union will meet in Brussels on the issue of travel restrictions caused by the appearance of the new coronavirus member in Great Britain. According to a European source, the ambassadors will discuss measures such as the implementation of PCR tests for travelers arriving from the UK.
At the same time, in our country, starting at 6 in the morning, the measure of seven days of home isolation for arrivals from Great Britain came into force, instead of three days that is valid for arrivals from any other country . However, the Expert Committee of the Ministry of Health for the treatment of the new coronavirus is expected to evaluate the scientific data in more detail today and return with new suggestions.
In accordance with the Civil Protection Service aviation directive, all passengers entering Greece on flights from the UK will be subject to a mandatory seven-day precautionary restriction at home or at the temporary place of residence indicated in the PLF form, unless they are staying in Greece for a shorter period of time, in which case the temporary restriction applies for this period of time, that is, until their departure.
Likewise, the obligation of all foreign travelers to have a 72-hour negative molecular test (PCR) and to complete the PLF form on travel.gov.gr continues. Additionally, all passengers entering Greek territory from the UK are subject to mandatory rapid tests during the period until January 7, 2021 at midnight.
To stop the spread of the new coronavirus strain, the World Health Organization and the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) have called on European countries to intensify controls, mainly by improving their detection capabilities. The ECDC does not rule out the possibility that this variant of the coronavirus is already circulating outside the UK. So far, nine cases have been identified in Denmark and one in Italy, the Netherlands, and Australia.
What we know about the new mutation
The VUI-202012/01 variant is spreading at speed, which is 70% more contagious, as announced by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his dramatic speech, during which he announced tough new measures for London and the South of England.
The ECDC does not rule out the possibility that this variant of Covid-19 is already available outside the UK. So far, nine cases have been reported in Denmark and one in Italy, the Netherlands and Australia, and the World Health Organization has asked its members in Europe to “intensify their scrutiny.”
According to the WHO, in addition to “preliminary indications that the mutation could be more contagious”, the mutation “could also affect the effectiveness of certain diagnostic methods”, always according to “preliminary information”.
Instead, there is no “evidence of a change in severity of disease”, even if this problem is being investigated.
On Saturday 12/19, UK Government Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitey said: “The Advisory Group on New and Emerging Threats from Respiratory Viruses (Nervtag) now believes that the new strain may spread faster. We have notified the Organization. World Health Organization and we continue to analyze the available data to better understand it. “
Scientists now have to grapple with concerns about the impact of the new variant, especially whether it will lead to an increase in cases of severe Covid disease or, indeed, fewer cases. The other big question is whether the new variant will be able to circumvent the protection offered by the Covid-19 vaccines, which are already being made in Britain and will be launched in other European countries in the coming days.
The appearance of the new variant is concerning, although it should be noted that there have been several previous Covid-19 mutations. Last month, the Danish government killed millions of minks after discovering that hundreds of Covid-19 cases had been linked to Sars-CoV-2 variants transported by mink farms. And in October, analyzes revealed the existence of a variant of the Spanish farmworker coronavirus that spread rapidly throughout Europe.
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