Some European countries are imposing travel restrictions from the UK, citing concerns after the UK and the World Health Organization said they identified a new variant of COVID-19 in England.
Driving the news: According to Sky News, Italy and Austria have become the latest countries to restrict flights from the UK, as have the Netherlands and Belgium.
- Dutch officials introduced restrictions after identifying at least one case of the same variant in the Netherlands. The ban is expected to be in effect at least until the new year.
- Belgium will block air and train travelers on Monday, the prime minister told a CNN partner.
- Italy and Austria have not specified the timing of the bans.
What to watch: France and Germany are expected to introduce similar flight bans, Sky reports.
The background: About 21 million people in London, South East and East England and Wales were completely locked out on Sunday to curb the spread of the new coronavirus strain.
For the record: The WHO Tweeted that it is in “close contact” with UK officials about the new variant.
- “They will continue to share information and results from their analysis and ongoing studies. We will update Member States and the public as we learn more about the features of this virus variant and any implications,” said the tweet.