London-The world scrambled Monday to contain a fast-spreading mutation of the coronavirus sweeping Britain, as a growing number of countries suspended flights from the UK, sowing travel chaos ahead of the holidays.
Dozens of countries from India to Argentina have banned flights from Britain in fear of the new virus strain, which has delivered a bleak reminder that the pandemic is far from under control even as vaccinations bring a rush of optimism.
European stocks, oil prices and the British pound all plummeted over the developments.
At least 1.68 million people have been killed by Covid-19 since the virus first emerged in China a year ago, with more than 10,000 people still dying daily. While experts do not believe the new variant of the virus — one of several — is more lethal or will affect the impact of vaccines, it may be up to 70 percent more transmissible, according to early data from the UK.
The European Union’s crisis team was to meet Monday to discuss a coordinated response to the new virus strain — just as the bloc’s health agency is set to decide whether to authorise the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
German government source said restrictions on air travel from Britain could be adopted by the entire 27-member EU and that countries were also discussing a joint response over sea, road and rail links.
– ‘Please help us leave!’ –
The rapid response thwarted travel around the world just as families were preparing to unite for Christmas. “Please help us leave!” said one British traveller who was among dozens held overnight in German airports, unable to leave until virus tests come back negative.
The flow of goods from France was also disrupted after Paris imposed a 48-hour blockade on people and lorries crossing the English Channel — just as companies are racing to shift merchandise before Britain finally quits European Union trade structures.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was to hold a crisis meeting about the situation Monday to discuss “in particular the steady flow of freight into and out of the UK”, a spokesman said.
The country’s critical south coast port of Dover said late Sunday it would close to all accompanied freight and passengers due to the French border restrictions “until further notice”. Yet the Netherlands, another key sea route from Europe to Britain, confirmed its freight routes to the UK remained open despite banning all passenger ferries.
While India and Hong Kong joined the move to suspend travel from the UK, US officials signalled they were holding off for now while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was confident existing 14-day quarantine rules for arrivals were sufficient to handle the threat.
Follow the PNI Facebook page for the latest news and updates.
