Canada has become the latest country to halt flights from the United Kingdom (UK) following the discovery of a new variant of Covid-19, which is said by officials to spread faster than others.
The new coronavirus variant, which prompted the UK government to impose a Tier 4 lockdown in London and southeastern England, and tighten restrictions for all of England over the festive period, is “out of control,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday — the same day that the UK broke its daily coronavirus case record, recording 35,928 new cases.
The ensuing wave of travel bans has cut off UK travelers from much of Europe and other parts of the world. It also spurred a decision to hold an emergency governmental meeting on Monday, chaired by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a No. 10 spokesperson told CNN. The meeting will focus on the international movement restrictions, and “in particular the steady flow of freight into and out of the UK,” they said. “Further meetings are happening this evening and tomorrow morning to ensure robust plans are in place.”
Canada announced it will ban most passenger travel from the UK beginning midnight Sunday for at least 72 hours. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the news in a tweet Sunday night saying it was being done to ‘protect’ Canadians across the country.
In South America, Argentina, Chile and Colombia have all suspended direct flights to and from the UK. Ecuador is also considering strengthening measures to control the spread of the virus.
According to a joint statement published Sunday by the Argentinian Health and Interior Ministries, Argentina will only allow one more flight from Britain to land at the international airport in Buenos Aires on Monday morning. Later flights have all been canceled.
The Chilean government announced on Twitter that all flights to and from the UK will be suspended, beginning on Tuesday, and that travelers who have been to the UK in the last 14 days would have to self-quarantine.
Colombian president Ivan Duque similarly announced that all flights between Colombia and the UK will be suspended, starting on Monday. Travelers who have been to the UK in the last 14 days will also have to self-quarantine, upon entering Colombia.
On Sunday, France announced it would suspend travel to and from the United Kingdom for 48 hours starting at midnight local time, due to the “new health risk,” French Prime Minister Jean Castex said. Both the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel subsequently announced closures.
The Republic of Ireland is banning flights from Britain on Monday and Tuesday. “In the interests of Public Health, people in Britain, regardless of nationality, should not travel to Ireland, by air or by sea,” the Irish government announced in a statement. Italy will also suspend flights to and from the UK, as well as banning entry to anyone who has been in Britain in the past two weeks, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Facebook Sunday.
Portugal will allow only Portuguese nationals to arrive on flights from the UK, and they must have a negative Covid-19 test, according to the country’s Interior Minister.
Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that Belgium will block travelers from the UK for 24 hours on Monday as a “precautionary measure,” though the ban could be extended if necessary.” As a precautionary measure, we have decided to stop flights from the UK from midnight for a period of 24 hours, and just as importantly for our country, to do the same for the Eurostar (train) — because that’s actually the main way that people from the UK come into our country,” he said, speaking to CNN affiliate VRT’s Sunday morning news program “De Zevende Dag.”
The Netherlands and Latvia announced longer bans on flights coming from the United Kingdom, lasting until the new year. The Dutch government, which also banned ferry passengers arriving from the UK, said the same virus variant had been detected in the Netherlands. Estonia also announced a suspension of air traffic with the UK until the end of the year.
The Czech Republic has also imposed a mandatory 10-day quarantine on anyone arriving from the UK starting Sunday.
Further away, Saudi Arabia is suspending all international flights for travelers — as well as entry through land and sea ports — for one week. Turkey banned flights from the UK, South Africa, the Netherlands and Denmark, according to the country’s state-owned Anadolu Agency. And Israel banned incoming flights from Britain, Denmark and South Africa, and will bar foreign nationals from those countries from entering the country.
