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LONDON: The European Union recommended on Tuesday that all 27 member countries should discourage all non-essential travel to and from the UK until further notice.
As EU countries impose ad-hoc restrictions on travel in the UK following the emergence of a new variant of the coronavirus, the European Commission urged them to take a coordinated approach, but without preventing people in the UK or Europe return home.
EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said that “member states must take coordinated action to discourage non-essential travel between the UK and the EU. At the same time, blanket travel bans should not prevent thousands of EU and UK citizens from returning home ”.
The EU’s executive arm said that people returning to their home countries or primary place of residence should be able to do so as long as they submit a negative test or self-quarantine.
Transport workers should be exempt from any travel ban when crossing a border to and from a ship, vehicle or plane. Essential medical personnel must be able to move freely without quarantine, provided they have tested negative within 72 hours of travel.
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Over the weekend, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed strict lockdown measures on London and neighboring areas amid growing concern about the new variant of the virus, which according to early indications could be 70% more transmittable.
As a result, Johnson scrapped a planned relaxation of the rules around Christmas for millions of people and banned indoor home mixing. Only essential trips will be allowed.
Amid questions about whether the vaccines being rolled out now would work against the new strain, the CEO of BioNTech, the German pharmaceutical company behind one of those injections, said he was confident it would be effective, but more studies are needed to be completely sure. .
Ugur Sahin said Tuesday that “we don’t know at this time whether our vaccine can also provide protection against this new variant,” but because the proteins in the variant are 99 percent the same as the predominant strains, BioNTech has “scientific confidence.” . in the vaccine.
READ: What we know about the new strain of coronavirus found in Great Britain
There is growing concern that the entire UK will be put under a nationwide lockdown after Christmas as new infections rise, including in Wales, where 90 British Army soldiers will re-enlist to drive vehicles from Wednesday to support health teams that respond to emergency calls.
The UK government’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, warned on Monday that the measures “may need to be increased in some places, in due course, not reduced.” For many, that was the code for another national lockdown.
READ: UK variant of COVID-19 may be better able to infect children: scientists
While the new variant is being evaluated, countries were trying to limit contact with Britain, although there is already evidence of tension elsewhere.
In Switzerland, for example, authorities are trying to track down some 10,000 people who have flown in from Britain since December 14, and have ordered them to quarantine for 10 days.
Switzerland was one of 40 countries to ban flights from the UK over concerns about the new variant.
The quarantine order is likely to affect thousands of Britons who have already made their way to Swiss ski resorts. Unlike many of its neighbors, Switzerland has left most of its slopes open, attracting enthusiasts from all over Europe.
The virus is blamed for 1.7 million deaths worldwide, including some 68,000 in Britain, the second-highest death toll in Europe, behind 69,000 in Italy.
The chaos at the border comes at a time of great uncertainty for Britain, less than two weeks before it completes its exit from the EU and breaks free of the bloc’s rules. Talks about a post-Brexit business relationship between the two sides are stalled.
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