The Netherlands is banning flights from the United Kingdom for at least the rest of the year in a bid to ensure a new strain of the COVID-19 virus in Britain does not reach its shores
The ban came into effect on Sunday morning and the government said it was dealing with tougher measures imposed in London and surrounding areas on Saturday by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Netherlands has said it will “assess with other EU countries the possibilities of introducing the virus from the United Kingdom.” “
Johnson said a swift new version of the virus that is 70% more mobile than existing strains appears to be driving the rapid spread of new diseases in London and the south of England.
“There is no evidence that it is more deadly or causes more serious illness,” said the Prime Minister, or that vaccines will be less effective against it.
The Dutch government is already advising its citizens not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
Britain has warned the World Health Organization that the new variant identified this week appears to be accelerating the spread of COVID-19, claiming it accounted for about 60% of capital issues.
Viruses circulate regularly, and scientists have found thousands of different strains among samples of the virus that causes COVID-19. But many of these changes have no effect on how easily the virus spreads or how severe the symptoms are.
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