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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 22 december 2020
Cut off: Britain hit with travel bans over new virus strain

By PAN PYLAS liminary analysis suggests
Associated Press the new variant is "signifi-
LONDON (AP) — Trucks cantly more transmissible,"
waiting to get out of Britain there is no indication that
backed up for miles and infections are more severe.
people were left stranded Still, experts have stressed
at airports Monday as doz- that more infections will
ens of countries around the lead to more hospitaliza-
world slapped tough travel tions and deaths.
restrictions on the U.K. be- The Stockholm-based
cause of a new and seem- agency said a few cases
ingly more contagious of the variant have been
strain of the coronavirus in reported by Iceland, Den-
England. mark and the Netherlands.
From Canada to India, It also cited news reports of
one nation after another cases in Belgium and Italy.
banned flights from Britain, With the rollout of coronavi-
while France barred the rus vaccines set to pick up
entry of trucks from Britain speed in early 2021, coun-
for 48 hours while the strain tries are clearly worried
is assessed. about the new variant.
The precautions raised "I think the vaccine will be
fears of food shortages fine," said Dr. Julian Tang, a
in Britain if the restrictions clinical virologist at the Uni-
drag on. versity of Leicester. But the
After a conversation with A police officer directs traffic at the entrance to the closed ferry terminal in Dover, England, Mon- new strain "is spreading so
French President Emman- day, Dec. 21, 2020, after the Port of Dover was closed and access to the Eurotunnel terminal sus- fast we may not be able to
uel Macron, British Prime pended following the French government's announcement. reach the vulnerable pop-
Minister Boris Johnson said Associated Press ulation, the elderly, in time
he understood the reason with the vaccine before
for the new measures and every day, accounting for continent return laden with tor that carries passengers the virus does."
expressed hope for a swift about 20% of the country's goods for Britain's use. The and freight between Britain The chaos at the border
resumption in the free flow trade in goods. fear is that the ban will lead and mainland Europe, also comes at a time of huge
of traffic between the U.K. Meanwhile, the European to a drop in such deliveries. suspended service out of uncertainty for Britain, less
and France, perhaps within Union gave the go-ahead Also, some drivers or their the U.K. than two weeks before it
a few hours. to the coronavirus vaccine employers might decide Sophie Taxil, a Frenchwom- completes its exit from the
He said officials from both developed by Pfizer and against entering Britain for an who lives in London, EU and frees itself from the
countries were working "to BioNTech, setting the stage fear they won't be able to caught a train back home bloc's rules. Talks on a post-
unblock the flow of trade for the first COVID-19 shots get back home. from Paris and urged every- Brexit trade relationship
as fast as possible." Macron across the 27-nation bloc Supermarket chain Sains- one in Britain to follow the between the two sides are
said earlier that France was to begin just after Christ- bury's warned that some rules. deadlocked.
looking at establishing sys- mas. products, such as lettuce, "I live there and I need to The retail industry played
tematic testing of people "This is a very good way to cauliflower, broccoli and go back there; my family is down fears of food short-
for the virus on arrival. end this difficult year and citrus fruits, could soon be there," she said. "I think that ages in the short term but
Over the weekend, John- to finally start turning the in short supply if the crisis phlegmatic British nature warned of problems if the
son imposed strict lock- page on COVID-19," said not resolved in the coming suits these COVID times: travel bans last for a while
down measures in London European Commission Pres- days. Stay calm and carry on, fair and if Britain and the EU
and neighboring areas ident Ursula von der Leyen. Canada, India, France, play." fail to reach a trade deal.
where Health Secretary The approval came just Germany, Italy, Spain and Over the weekend, John- Trade association Logistics
Matt Hancock said the hours after the EU's drug Sweden were among the son said early indications U.K. urged people to stay
new strain is "out of control." regulatory agency said the countries that suspended are that the variant is 70% calm and resist panic-buy-
Experts said the early evi- vaccine meets safety and flights from Britain for vari- more transmissible and is ing in supermarkets.
dence indicates the strain quality standards. It is al- ous lengths of time. driving the rapid spread "If freight gets moving again
is not more lethal, and they ready being dispensed in In the United States, New of infections in the capital today, then the overall im-
expressed confidence that Britain and the U.S. York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and surrounding areas. pact on fresh produce arriv-
the vaccines now being The virus is blamed for 1.7 who has been calling on As a result, he scrapped ing to supermarkets should
rolled out would still be ef- million deaths worldwide, the U.S. to halt flights as a planned relaxation of be fairly minimal," said Kev-
fective against it. including about 68,000 in well, said he asked airlines rules over Christmastime in Green, the association's
After France announced Britain, the second-highest flying into his state from the for millions of people and director of marketing and
Sunday night that it was death toll in Europe, behind U.K. to make all passengers imposed other tough new communications.q
closing its borders to trucks Italy's 69,000. take a coronavirus test be- restrictions in the affected
from Britain, hundreds of While the French ban does fore boarding. zone. No indoor mixing of
vehicles, mainly operated not prevent trucks from He said at least one carrier, households will be allowed,
by drivers from continental entering Britain, the move British Airways, agreed to and only essential travel will
Europe, became stranded stoked worries about short- do so. be permitted. Stores selling
outside the English Chan- ages at a time of year when At Germany's Berlin and nonessential goods were
nel port of Dover. The lines the UK produces very little Frankfurt airports, passen- ordered closed, putting a
shrank over the course of of its food and relies heavily gers arriving from Britain crimp in Christmas shop-
the day from 500 trucks to on produce delivered from had to spend Sunday night ping.
about 175, authorities said. Europe by truck. in the terminals as they The European Centre for
Around 10,000 trucks pass Many trucks that carry awaited test results. Disease Prevention and
through the port of Dover cargo from the U.K. to the Eurotunnel, the rail opera- Control said that while pre-