Belgium and Italy will suspend its flights and trains from the UK. In question: the discovery of a new variant of coronavirus circulating in part of British territory. In Belgium, the measure will take effect on Sunday at midnight and the suspension will last at least 24 hours, said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
“The UK has launched a warning about a new form of Covid that is the result of a mutation of the virus. As a government we have a duty to protect Italians and for that reason, we are going to sign, with the Minister of Health, a decree to suspend flights with Great Britain”, indicated his Facebook page, the Italian Minister Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio, without, however, specifying the date of entry into force.
A passenger walks at Rome airport after Italy announced all flights to and from the UK will be suspended [Remo Casilli/Reuters]
London reconfiguration
Germany is also “seriously” considering suspending flights from the UK, but also from South Africa, said a government source close to the Ministry of Health. France announced this Sunday at noon, to monitor the situation “of very close”, without however announcing having taken the decision to close the border.
Brussels and Rome thus follow the example of the Netherlands, which on Sunday suspended all passenger flights from the United Kingdom. The British government announced a re-containment of London and south east England in an attempt to contain the increase in contamination attributed to a new strain of the virus. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday that initial data showed that the virus that circulates in London and southeastern England is up to 70% more contagious than the previous strain.