Netherlands and UK Flights Banned Until January 1... "Concerns Over Spread of Variant COVID"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Dutch health authorities have decided to temporarily ban flights from the UK, where a highly contagious variant of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been detected. Earlier, lockdown measures began in London and the southeastern region of England following reports of the variant virus in the UK.

According to major foreign news agencies including the Associated Press, on the 20th (local time), the Dutch government announced that from that day until January 1 of next year, aircraft carrying passengers from the UK will be prohibited from entering. They also added that additional measures are being considered for other transportation means connected to the UK. This decision was made after a virus sample collected earlier this month was found to contain the same variant virus discovered in the UK. The Dutch government advised against traveling to the UK unless absolutely necessary to prevent the spread of the virus.

Earlier, the UK government implemented emergency lockdown measures starting the previous day in London and the southeastern part of England as the variant COVID-19 virus rapidly spread. Although the harmfulness of the variant virus is not yet precisely known, it is reported to have a much higher transmissibility. The UK government has also reported the variant occurrence to the World Health Organization (WHO).

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at a press conference the previous day, "There is no evidence that the variant virus causes severe illness or higher mortality, but it appears to spread much faster," adding, "I am very heavy-hearted to announce emergency lockdown measures." From that day, very strict measures began in London and southeastern England, including the closure of all shops except essential businesses, bans on movement except for essential purposes, and prohibitions on outdoor gatherings of more than one person.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.