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European leaders discussed the new situation created by the emergence of a new strain of coronavirus in the UK. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone with the heads of the main EU institutions: the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel , informs Agerpres.
A representative of the French Foreign Ministry told France Télévisions that France wants a coordinated European position on the matter and hopes that a decision can be announced on the matter as soon as possible.
Emmanuel Macron also called a meeting of the French national defense council. The French president himself has COVID-19 and is isolated, his condition is stable, according to an announcement from the Elysee Palace.
Meanwhile, Austria has also announced that it will suspend flights to and from the UK, with similar decisions made so far by Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy. Germany has announced that it is also considering a possible suspension of these flights.
The British government has decided to impose maximum levels of anti-epidemic restrictions in London and part of England, where the most contagious new strain of coronavirus has caused a significant increase in new cases of COVID-19.
London government scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said the new strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appeared in mid-September in south-east England, London or Kent, and is now on the rise. in the UK and led to a sharp increase in hospitalizations in December.
Publisher: ML
