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Due to the precarious situation in Britain, the government has imposed a closure: 16 million people are affected. The first countries are now considering flight bans. It is not yet clear how Switzerland will react.
According to Boris Johnson, there is no evidence that vaccination against the mutation is less effective.
Photo: Keystone
Scientists and politicians are concerned about a new variant of the coronavirus that is currently spreading rapidly in south-east England. The country faces a huge challenge, Health Minister Matt Hancock told Sky News on Sunday. According to initial findings by British scientists, the recently discovered variant 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.
To contain the virus, a harsh closure with curfews has been implemented since Sunday in the capital London and across much of the south-east of England, including during the Christmas period (follow the development on the international corona ticker). More than 16 million people are affected. Hancock did not rule out that the stricter measures remain in force “in the coming months.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) tweeted on Sunday night that it was in close contact with the UK. The UK authorities would continue to share information and results of their analyzes and studies. “We will keep member states and the public informed as soon as we learn more about the characteristics of this variant of the virus and its effects.” The WHO warned that all protective measures must continue to be taken to prevent the virus from spreading. The Netherlands has already reacted and banned all flights to and from the UK.
BAG is monitoring the situation
It is currently unclear how Switzerland will react. The FOPH left open on Sunday morning whether action would be taken and whether the new variant of the virus had already reached Switzerland. “We are monitoring the situation,” a spokeswoman said on request.
It is also not known whether the new corona vaccine can be affected by the new variant. “There is still too little data to draw conclusions about the infectivity of this mutant virus, the severity of the disease it causes and the effects on the effectiveness of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine,” said the BAG spokeswoman.
It is not yet known whether flights between Switzerland and Great Britain will be affected. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation refers to the request of this newspaper to the BAG.
The virus has not yet appeared in Switzerland, writes epidemiologist Marcel Salathé on Twitter.
Tourists left London yesterday
London Mayor Sadiq Khan showed understanding for the closure, in which non-essential shops and facilities must close. “It is the coming and going that leads to so much fear, despair, sadness and disappointment,” Khan told the BBC on Sunday. “If we keep changing our minds, it’s very difficult for people like me to ask people to listen to us.”
Due to the spread of the new variant, the highest Corona Tier 4 has been introduced for London and other regions in South East England. Residents have not been allowed to leave this area since Sunday. After the stricter measures were announced, scores of people spontaneously left on Saturday night to leave London. Photos and videos showed crowded train stations. “What they saw yesterday was a direct result of the messy way the announcement was made,” Khan said.
Commuters wait on the esplanade at London Paddington Station on the last Saturday before Christmas.
Photo: Stefan Rousseau / PA / dpa / Keystone
Understand that people want to travel with their families at the last second before travel bans go into effect. “But it’s wrong,” said the mayor. And regarding corona vaccines, he added: “How will you feel if you pass the virus on to older relatives, loved ones, whose lives could be long and fertile because of the vaccine, but who are infected with the virus and – God. don’t want it – die? “
Germany: Air traffic restrictions “serious option”
For Germany, restricting air traffic from the Kingdom is a “serious option”. This also applies to South Africa, according to the Federal Ministry of Health. At the moment, planes from Great Britain can no longer land in the Netherlands.
German health expert Karl Lauterbach (SPD) warned of mutations in the corona virus. “Mutations are very likely to increase the risk of infection,” he told the German publishing network (RND, Sonntag). “That is another reason why the second wave cannot be that strong. The more infections you allow, the more likely it is that even more dangerous mutations will occur. It is a kind of vicious cycle: more infections lead to more opportunities for mutations, and therefore more mutations. These, in turn, lead to more infections. So it goes on and on. “
