He Dutch government has stopped all passenger flights entering the UK after finding a case in the Netherlands new coronavirus strain which has been circulating in Britain.
The ban, which starts at 6am (05:00 GMT) on Sunday and lasts at least until January 1, came just hours after Britain announced a home stay order for the south of England, including London, to curb the most infectious variant. .
The Dutch public health agency, the RIVM, said it “recommends that any introduction of this virus strain from the UK be limited as much as possible by limiting and / or controlling passenger movements”.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s cabinet said other forms of transport were still being reviewed.
Sunday, Belgium it also banned flights and trains from the UK for the same reason, the AFP news agency reported.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said he issued the order for 24 hours from midnight “as a precaution”.
“There are a lot of questions about this new mutation and if it is not yet online [European] continental, ”he said.
GermanyMeanwhile, he is considering his own ban, a source in the Ministry of Health told AFP.
The source said the measure is a “serious option” and that developments in the UK are being closely monitored.
The newspaper Image on Sunday reported that ministers were drafting new regulations to be approved by the cabinet.
The measure would also include a ban on flights to South Africa, where the new strain has also been discovered.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that it is in close contact with British officials for the new variant.
“They will continue to share information and results from their ongoing analyzes and studies. We will update Member States and the public as we learn more about the characteristics of this variant of the virus and its implications,” he told the WHO.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said early scientific data suggests the new coronavirus strain is up to 70% more infectious.
Europe
Germany has reported 22,771 more cases and 409 deaths in the daily update provided by the Robert Koch Institute.
December will be the deadliest month to date in Germany’s battle with the virus, with nearly 10,000 deaths recorded during the first three weeks of the month.
The death toll is likely to double the death toll of 5,796 in November.
Monday the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is expected to give its approval for Germany to start vaccinating on December 27th.
Asia-Pacific
Thailand has reported the highest daily number of coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, with 548 new infections nationwide. Most new cases are related to an outbreak at a wholesale seafood market on the outskirts of the capital, Bangkok.
South Korea it has also reported a maximum daily record, with 1,097 new cases, according to the country’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
According to KDCA, about 188 inmates and staff at a prison in southeast Seoul have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infections related to the facility to 215.
Australia is tightening its restrictions in Sydney, starting at midnight on Sunday, in an effort to stifle a recent group of cases in the country’s most populous city.
Gladys Berejiklian, the Prime Minister of the State of New South Wales, told reporters that 30 more infections had been detected in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to of 68 since a new outbreak was detected three days ago. The area began a four-day closure Saturday night.
America
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was paying close attention to reports of allergic reactions to the coronavirus vaccination program and made recommendations on how people with a history of allergies should proceed.
Anyone who had a severe reaction should not receive the second dose, the CDC said, which defined severity as the need for epinephrine medication or having to go to the hospital to receive treatment.
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine has become the second pharmaceutical company to receive authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use after BioNTech-Pfizer. The United States is the most affected nation in the world, with more than 3,000 coronavirus deaths a day.
Canada has exceeded 500,000 cases, according to official figures, recording an increase of 25% in the last two weeks.
The Ontario provincial government announced this weekend an extension of the closure measures in Toronto and much of the region until Jan. 4.
“COVID-19 is spreading among people of all ages, with high infection rates in all age groups,” said Canadian medical director Theresa Tam.
In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro has rejected the global rush to buy and distribute vaccines.
“The rush is not justified,” Bolsonaro said in the video posted on social media by one of his sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro. “It’s an interference in people’s lives.”
The comments came after the Brazilian leader, who has downplayed the severity of the virus since the start of the pandemic, appeared to provoke public fears about the possible side effects of a punch.
“In the contract, it is clearly stated that Pfizer is not responsible for adverse reactions. If he becomes an alligator, that is his problem,” he said, laughing. The alligator is a semi-aquatic reptile similar to an alligator.
jsi / mm (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)