Rome Italy
Italy on Sunday detected a first case of infection of a new strain of coronavirus, first identified in Italy United Kingdom and that it could be more contagious, after deciding to suspend flights from that country.
In a statement released in the evening, the Ministry of Health needs a patient infected with the new strain was identified in Italy at the Celio military hospital in Rome.
This center revealed “the virus genome SARS-CoV-2 coming from an individual who tested positive for the variant [del nuevo coronavirus] found in recent weeks in the UK, “the statement said.
The patient had recently returned from this country by plane and he and his close circles are in quarantine, according to the same source.
Earlier, Italy had announced the suspension of flights from the UK.
“He United Kingdom issued a warning about a new form of covid-19 that would be the result of a mutation in the virus. As a government we have a duty to protect Italians and for this reason we are “going” to sign with the Minister of Health a decree to suspend flights with the United Kingdom “, he wrote Luigi Di Maio, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on his behalf Facebook.
“I have signed a new order blocking flights from United Kingdom and prohibits the entry into Italy of people who have been there in the last 14 days, “said the Minister of Hello, Roberto Speranza, in a statement.
“Anyone who is in Italy coming from this territory must be subjected to a test, of antigens or molecular “, added the communiqué, in which it was appealed to keep” the greatest caution “possible.
The text of the order, very brief, states that the decision enters into force this Sunday, but without indicating the time, and will be valid until January 6.
The decision came the day after the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announce the refining of London and parts of the south-east of England until 30 December.
The British president linked the rise in covid-19 infections in these areas to the new coronavirus strain discovered there, which he said could be up to 70% more contagious.
For this reason, the World organization of Health he called on his European members this Sunday to “strengthen their controls”.