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London and the South East could be ‘cut off’ from the rest of the UK with possible travel bans as a new ‘highly contagious’ variant of coronavirus spreads across the region.
Boris Johnson could announce a strengthening of the Covid-19 council as early as today after holding a meeting in which ministers are understood to have discussed how to contain the mutant strain.
So far this has been limited to London and the South East, with scientists warning that the new variant is 50% more contagious than any strain detected before.
A source told the Daily Telegraph that Downing Street could restrict travel to and from the southeast, with other proposed measures banning travelers from traveling to London.
It is understood that the Prime Minister received new evidence last night about the harmfulness of the mutant strain.
London and the South East could be ‘cut off’ from the rest of the UK with travel prohibited as a new ‘highly contagious’ variant of coronavirus sweeps the regions. In the photo: Oxford Street on Friday
Vast swaths of the southeast were embroiled in Covid’s toughest set of restrictions on Wednesday after experiencing ‘strong and exponential’ growth in cases.
A government source told the Mail: “There is growing concern about the new strain and how fast it is spreading.
Ministers are considering what steps could be taken as a result. Everyone is very concerned – if it spreads faster and is just as harmful, then there is a concern. ‘
But they added: “There is no evidence yet that it is more harmful.”
A Whitehall source told The Sun: “This is a fluid situation, but it doesn’t look good and we have to act fast.”
UK experts have so far found more than 1,000 people carrying the new variant, called VUI – 202012/01, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons on Monday.
There have been reports of the strain in at least 60 areas from local authorities and it is believed to be similar to other strains in Europe, he said.
The fast-spreading strain is believed to have originated in Kent before spreading to London and the counties of origin.
Boris Johnson could announce another tightening of Covid-19 restrictions as early as today, after convening a meeting of senior ministers last night to discuss how to contain the mutant strain.
So far, the strain has been limited to London and the South East, and scientists warn that the new variant is 50 percent more contagious than anything detected before. In the photo: Oxford Street on Friday
It is understood that the Prime Minister received new evidence last night about the harmfulness of the mutant strain. In the photo: London on Friday
It is understood that families in these areas will be advised to stay home for Christmas regardless of whether these travel restrictions are imposed.
Vast swaths of the southeast were embroiled in Covid’s most severe set of restrictions on Wednesday after experiencing “strong and exponential” growth in cases.
Despite this, up to three households in Britain will still be able to form a ‘Christmas bubble’ between 23 and 27 December according to the rules announced by the Government before the holiday period.
Scientists fear that this temporary easing of restrictions could help spread the new variant of Covid, which is believed to be behind the increase in cases in southern England.
Boris Johnson said Friday that it is “vital” that people begin to minimize contact with those outside their bubbles to “avoid transmitting the virus to their loved ones this Christmas.”
In a message on Twitter, he added: ‘If you are forming a Christmas bubble, it is vital that from today you minimize contact with people outside your home.
“Everyone must take personal responsibility to avoid transmitting the virus to their loved ones this Christmas.”
Stripes of home counties will join London at Level 3 today, while Manchester and the North East were told they couldn’t go down a grade despite registering fewer cases.
He added that the three-household limit was “a maximum” and not a “goal to which he should aspire.”
It comes as the Health Department recorded 28,507 new cases of the virus in the last 24 hours on Friday, a third more than last week’s 21,672, and 489 deaths, a 14 percent increase from last week.
Meanwhile, SAGE now estimates that the Covid R rate, the average number of people infected for each person with the disease, is between 1.1 and 1.2 in the UK.
It’s the first time that the number of players has definitely been above the crucial mark since the first week of the national shutdown last month.
In England, the rate is even higher between 1.1 and 1.3, while experts warned that it could reach 1.4 in the East and 1.3 in both London and the South East.
Last week, Britain’s R number, which does not represent Friday’s outbreak, was between 0.9 and 1.
Professor Chris Whitty said at a Downing Street news conference on Monday that the strain of Covid-19 running through southern England may be more contagious than the normal coronavirus.
He said: ‘The main reason we are bringing this to people’s attention is the question of whether this is spreading faster. It may be ’cause and effect’, or it may not ‘.
But the medical director said there was “no evidence” that it was more dangerous, or that it could miss Covid-19 vaccines or tests.
He added: “There is not a lot of selection pressure on this virus and therefore it would be surprising, not impossible, but quite surprising, if this virus had actually evolved to bypass the vaccine.”
No information on the strain has been publicly announced and it does not appear to exist in scientific studies, nor to be related to any of the other mutations that have been found in Europe.
Other versions of the coronavirus have been found throughout the year, and experts say it is totally normal for the virus to change as it spreads, and not a cause for alarm.
Variants called the D614G and 20A.EU1 have been found to be widespread and faster than the original versions that came out of East Asia, but they are no more deadly.
