China pulls plug on British flights as variant Covid-19 ‘out of control’
- Beijing joins a number of countries suspending arrivals from Britain as London and southeast England go into lockdown
- Decision based on changing nature of the virus and the need to safeguard public health, says foreign ministry spokesman
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday afternoon the decision was made after British health officials said the new Covid-19 strain was “out of control”, forcing London and the southeast of England into lockdown.
“Taking into account the changing nature of the virus and the impact this could have, and to safeguard the health of Chinese and foreigners coming and going, the Chinese side decided to suspend flights with Britain, after a thorough evaluation and consultation of other countries’ policies,” Wang said.
03:57
Coronavirus: what we know so far about the new strain of Covid-19
British health officials said the variant emerged in southeast England in September, and is believed to be as much as 70 per cent more transmissible than earlier versions. The new variant has also been found in cases linked to South Africa.
Britain has one of the highest coronavirus death tolls in Europe. On Wednesday, it officially reported 39,237 new Covid-19 cases, the country’s largest daily increase since the start of the pandemic.
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Coronavirus: UK issues toughest Tier 4 Covid-19 restrictions, countries ban flights from Britain
China imposed a fresh travel ban in early November on non-Chinese travellers from Britain, Belgium and the Philippines. The temporary measures, aimed at preventing imported cases, were applied regardless of whether visas or residency permits were still valid.