New strain of coronavirus: government suspends flights to and from UK

Argentina has announced that it will suspend flights with Britain after a new strain of the coronavirus emerged, adding to a long list of countries that have taken the same decision to avoid a spread of this “English” variant of Covid-19

The measure will take effect from Tuesday, after the arrival of a flight from London at Ezeiza International Airport on Monday.

Regarding this situation, in a television interview, the Minister of Health, Ginés González García, said he was “concerned” both by the situation in the United Kingdom and by the increase in cases in neighboring countries. Argentina.

The decision of the government of President Alberto Fernández to suspend flights with the United Kingdom comes in addition to that adopted by the main European countries, including Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Sweden

The preventive measure was adopted pending more scientific data and a joint decision that should emerge from the urgent meeting of ambassadors from the 27 member countries of the European Union (EU) to be held this Monday in Brussels.

Last Saturday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new strain of coronavirus, which appears to be much more contagious but less fatal, scientists say.

Urgent meeting in UK

Meanwhile, the UK government said on Sunday it would hold a crisis meeting on Monday, after a number of countries suspended connections with the UK, like France, which also suspended freight transport, in due to a new strain of the coronavirus. .

“Prime Minister will lead COBR meeting tomorrow [para las situaciones de crisis] to discuss the situation regarding international movements and in particular the regular flow of freight transport to and from the UK, ”said a spokesperson for Boris Johnson’s office.

The discovery on Sunday of a new “uncontrollable” variant of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom prompted several European countries, such as Germany, France, Italy and Ireland, to suspend their connections with this country.

France, in particular, suspends from Sunday at midnight and for 48 hours all movements of people, “including those linked to the transport of goods, by road, air, sea or rail, from the United Kingdom”.

“Only unaccompanied freight transport will be allowed,” the French government said.

Immediately, the English port of Dover, which communicates mainly with France, announced that it was closed to outgoing traffic “until further notice”.

According to the British Road Transport Association, some 10,000 trucks pass through this port every day.

“Stocks for Brexit are one thing, peak Christmas is another, but this 48-hour border closure is a real blow,” Rod McKenzie, representative of this federation, told Sky News.

English ports are currently experiencing massive traffic, causing delays and traffic jams on the routes leading there as many companies regroup in anticipation of the UK’s exit from the European Single Market on December 31.

Ten days before the final exit, post-Brexit trade negotiations between London and Brussels have not yet yielded results and if this fails, the sudden introduction of quotas and tariffs raises fears of chaos in the offer of the country.