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Covid Christmas Headlines Updates

Covid Christmas Headlines Updates

France shut its border with the UK for 48 hours, meaning no lorries or ferries can leave from the port of Dover.

Boris Johnson is chairing a meeting of the government’s emergency committee and will hold a press conference at Downing Street at 17:10 GMT.

He will be joined by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser.

The latest figures released on Monday reveal that another 33,364 people in the UK have tested positive for coronavirus.

There were also a further 215 deaths within 28 days of testing positive, bringing the nation’s total to 67,616.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned that the new variant of the virus – which may be up to 70% more transmissible – is “getting out of control”.

The new variant has spread quickly in London and south-east England, but health officials say there is no evidence that it is more deadly or would react differently to vaccines.

Data from Whole Genome Sequencing, epidemiology and modelling suggest the new variant ‘VUI – 202012/01’ (the first Variant Under Investigation in December 2020) transmits more easily than other strains.  Gov uk

40 UK Banned Flights 

  • India will stop all flights from the UK until 31 December, starting on Wednesday
  • Russia is suspending all flights to and from Britain for a week
  • The Netherlands has banned flights with passengers from the UK until 1 January
  • Denmark has suspended all flights from Britain for 48 hours as of Monday morning
  • Norway has also stopped planes from the UK two days
  • Israel’s Prime Minister has order the country to “close the skies” after a meeting of the cabinet
  • Belgium has banned flights and rail travel from the UK for 24 hours with more clarity expected on Tuesday
  • Italy has banned air passengers from Britain until 6 January and also anyone who has transited through the UK in the previous 14 days. Residents of Italy will still be able to depart Britain to return home.
  • Austria has banned flights from the UK but the duration of the measure is not clear
  • Germany is banning flights from the UK for an unspecified duration
  • Spain will ban all entrants from the UK starting on Tuesday, although Spanish nationals will be allowed to return
  • Portugal says only Portuguese people and residents of the country can arrive from the UK. Everyone must show proof of a negative COVID test, which can be accessed at airports
  • Bulgaria is suspending flights from the UK until 31 January
  • Switzerland has announced a travel ban on all people arriving from the UK and South Africa
  • Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have agreed to ban flights from the UK until 31 January
  • France will bar entry for 48 hours (from Sunday night) to those coming from the UK (and accompanied freight) by road, air, sea or rail
  • Malta is suspending all flights to and from the UK from Tuesday
  • Sweden is preparing to ban entry from the UK but the details are not yet clear
  • Greece has extended the self-isolation time for those arriving from the UK from three days to seven days
  • Turkey is suspending flights from the UK, Denmark and the Netherlands, with the last two countries among those where the new strain has also been found
  • Hong Kong has banned all flights from the UK, and also announced that people who had recently made the journey will need to quarantine for an extra seven days – taking the total isolation time to 21 days
  • Canada is banning flights from the UK for 72 hours
  • Saudi Arabia has suspended all international flights for travellers for a week
  • Oman has closed it’s land, sea and air borders
  • Kuwait has suspended all commercial flights, and will close its land and sea borderers until 1 January
  • Jordan has suspended all flights to and from the UK until 3 January
  • El Salvador has banned travellers who have been in the UK within the previous 30 days, including transit
  • Ireland has banned flights and ferries from the UK for 48 hours
  • The Czech Republic says arrivals who have spent at least 24 hours in UK territory will need to isolate
  • Colombia, Morocco, Chile, Finland, and Argentina have also banned travellers from the UK