Netherlands bans UK flights

[RudolphToldRedNoseNotSymptom]

THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT has banned all passenger flights from Britain after finding the first case of a new, more infectious coronavirus strain that is circulating in the UK.

The ban, from 6am local time until 1 January, came hours after Britain announced a stay at home order for part of the country to slow the new variant.

“An infectious mutation of the Covid-19 virus is circulating in the United Kingdom. It is said to spread more easily and faster and is more difficult to detect,” the Dutch health ministry said in a statement.

The Dutch public health body, the RIVM, therefore “recommends that any introduction of this virus strain from the United Kingdom be limited as much as possible by limiting and/or controlling passenger movements.”

The health ministry added that a “case study in the Netherlands at the beginning of December revealed a virus with the variant described in the United Kingdom.”

Experts were looking at how the infection happened and whether there were related cases.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s cabinet had now taken the “precautionary decision” to ban flights from Britain, the statement said, adding that other forms of transport were still under review.

He urged Dutch citizens not to travel unless strictly necessary.

“Over the next few days, together with other EU member states, (the government) will explore the scope for further limiting the risk of the new strain of the virus being brought over from the UK,” the statement said.

The Netherlands is under a five-week lockdown until mid-January with schools and all non-essential shops closed to slow a surge in the virus.

The move comes after scientists on the UK Government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) concluded the mutant strain identified by the Public Health England laboratories at Porton Down was spreading more quickly.

The UK also informed the World Health Organisation of its findings.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, said the new variant, known as VUI 202012/01, was thought to have originated in either London or Kent in September.

By November, it was accounting for 28% of new infections in the region and by early December that had risen to 60%.

“This new variant not only moves fast but it is becoming the dominant variant,” he said.

He said however there was no evidence it causes a more severe illness than the original virus, while the “working assumption ” of scientists was that the vaccines that had been developed should be able to deal with it.

Should the UK be banning travel out of the UK itself do we think?

@Nellodee

What is the more difficult to detect part about?

That is what got my attention too

There are stories in the media that the 'new' strain has been circulating since September. Which means it is almost certain that it has already travelled to other EU countries and probably explains why they are also seeing huge increases in cases. So frankly if people/countries who think this is a UK only issue they are deluding themselves...

I was hoping the difficult to detect meant it is getting less strong as well as spreading faster. Like viruses have in the past.

We can live in hope.

@supadupapupascupa

What happens to uk citizens who have flights booked before new year to return home from an eye country?

Yes ds due back from Austria - currenlty trying to work out whether the restriction "from midnight, Tuesday 22nd December" means from the start of the 22nd or the end!

@Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum

I was hoping the difficult to detect meant it is getting less strong as well as spreading faster. Like viruses have in the past.

We can live in hope.

There is no evidence so far of any change in how serious the disease

As SARS-COV2 is infectious before symptoms appear, there's no particular imperative for it to seek to avoid killing its host, as it will have already have moved on before the actual illness strikes

I don't think it's incoming traffic - it's travel FROM the UK.

Someone explained up the thread that difficult to detect meant that they don't have a test specifically for this strain. So you get a positive result, but then they have to do a further test to refine it to the England virus.

@RudolphToldRedNoseNotSymptom yes you are right it is from the U.K. But the reality is it will be both ways as the planes need to get to those countries to bring people home and they won’t fly empty planes out there.

What is the more difficult to detect part about?

Guessing, but I think it means you cannot tell from any feature of the disease, so you can only tell by sequencing the virus. Something that all countries are doing as part of their surveillance of the disease - it's very important to know how often new variants appear and what they are like

@RudolphToldRedNoseNotSymptom

Yes, I really think that they need to put the entire UK into Tier 4. I know Boris doesn't want to be unpopular, but this ongoing saga is crippling the country.

Probably. The news is saying the new variant has been found in Scotland and Wales. I imagine it’s all over England. I’m in the Midlands and my local town cases have risen by 60% last week even though we came out of lock down and into tier 3. Which makes me wonder if this crazy rise is due to the new variant. Prior to about 2 weeks ago it had been fairly stable for months.

I've read that consulates are providing assistance to people stranded.

Apparently Germany is considering banning travellers from the U.K.

I know how people from China must have felt in March!

It's this particular strain that they want to keep out as it's more virulent, or transmissible or contagious - choose your word. don't get me started on transmissible

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-55382212

It's already present in a number of other countries, but those with very low levels understandably do not want tomfuel its rise in their countries by importing more cases from a hotspot

(PS: what's wrong with saying 'transmissible'?)

@JacobReesMogadishu

Apparently Germany is considering banning travellers from the U.K.

I know how people from China must have felt in March!

I guess this is the test of which countries have learnt lessons from Jan-Mar. Do you keep everything open until we know more and hope it'll probably be OK or go 'shut it down' until we know more?

Unless they -do- know more.

Keeping this variant down, and getting people vaccinated before the next 17 point shift, could be seriously important

The Czech Republic has just banned UK visitors and flights from tomorrow...

Ireland stopped flights in too.

Presumably Eurostar is screwed too?

Of course they do. Boris during the week mentioned a new strain reported to WHO. On Saturday, he said that he had only been brought the data Friday about new strain. I think the 'scientists' knew about it but didn't present it to the politicians. Chris BigForehead Whitty.

The more difficult to detect is because it’s likely that the rapid lateral flow tests won’t work. They don’t work brilliantly anyway though.

@CabinClose

The more difficult to detect is because it’s likely that the rapid lateral flow tests won’t work. They don’t work brilliantly anyway though.

This is what I'm worried about, to be selfishly honest.

By the way, apparently South Africa also have this new strain causing many cases there. I doubt the mutation happened coincidentally on the other side of the world at the same time

As another PP said, the SA virus is yet another variant. It is associated with a high viral load and apparently causes more severe disease in younger people.

Just seen a report that says Germany has also banned flights from South Africa where another variant has been identified (similar to the one in Europe, but not the same)