Cut off: Britain hit with travel bans over new virus strain

The Associated Press ^ | December 21, 2020 | By PAN PYLAS

[Oldeconomybuyer]

LONDON - Trucks waiting to get out of Britain backed up for miles and people were left stranded at airports Monday as countries around the world imposed stringent travel restrictions on the U.K. because of a new and seemingly more contagious strain of the coronavirus in England.

A growing number of countries halted air travel from Britain, while France banned British trucks for 48 hours while the new variant is assessed.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the strain is “out of control” around London and southeastern England, though experts have said it is not clear whether it is more lethal, and they expressed confidence that the vaccines now being rolled out would still be effective against it.

There were rising hopes that France would soon allow traffic to flow again, if truck drivers took coronavirus tests on arrival.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said that while preliminary analysis suggests the new variant is “significantly more transmissible,” there is no indication that infections are more severe. Experts, however, have stressed that even if the new strain is not more lethal, it is inevitable that more infections will lead to more hospitalizations and deaths.

The Stockholm-based agency said a few cases of the variant have been reported by Iceland, Denmark and the Netherlands. It also cited news reports of cases in Belgium and Italy.

The chaos at the border comes at a time of huge uncertainty for Britain, less than two weeks before the final stage of the country’s exit from the EU.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

[RummyChick]

no two ways about it...this is a big ole mess

if this was an unintentional release of a bioweapon china was working on...they should be high fiving themselves

chaos and economic harm that will last for many years in many countries

[DesertRhino]

The cold season is here and now it’s a “ new strain”. And they get to continue the great reset. Watch for it to be found to have made it to America shortly. Then they’ll start 2021 with an entirely new coronavirus panic ABC take this bullshit into year 2.

[montag813]

This story sounds like complete B.S.

Human are really pathetic. 2,000 years since Rome at its peak, and look how far we have DE-vovled. I don't blame the Galactic Federation from rejecting us one bit.

[mewzilla]

This has never been about public health.

It’s about Brexit.

[Erik Latranyi]

So, the new mutation of Covid just “coincidentially” hits the UK first just as it negotiates Brexit with the EU.....

[mewzilla]

FWIW, I think this is all a big stall to see if Trump can be gotten rid of.

If Trump is gone, Brexit is dead.

If Trump and our republic triumph, God help Deep States worldwide.

Because he and we will be coming for them.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

countries around the world imposed stringent travel restrictions on the U.K.

I hope we're among those countries. I know it doesn't make much sense to restrict air travel when people can cross the southern border at will, but we must at least try.

[srmanuel]

On my Roku, I”m watching Sky News out of the UK, they are going nonstop on this story....

They are reporting live from Dover where hundreds of trucks are backed up because the Tunnel is shutdown, similarly on the other side hundreds of trucks are backed up..

Many of those trucks are packed with perishable items like fruit, vegetables, and seafood, it’s a gigantic Fubar situation...

[mewzilla]

Meanwhile...

Scientists, MPs Ask ‘Where Is Evidence Of 70% More Contagious Mutant COVID?’ Oxford University Professor: “I’ve been doing this job for 25 years and I can tell you can’t establish a quantifiable number in such a short time frame.”

[laplata]

This has never been about public health.

It’s about Brexit.

><><

BINGO!

[newfreep]

Almost as if it was planned...

[Deo volente]

The chaos at the border comes at a time of huge uncertainty for Britain, less than two weeks before the final stage of the country’s exit from the EU.

Hold that Brexit! How convenient...

[Deo volente]

They're going to lock us down for the next two years, continue the universal mailed ballots scheme, and steal the midterms in 2022. Twenty-two Republicans are up for election in the Senate that year. The Dems are going for a supermajority by hook or by crook.

[Winniesboy]

Although it's tempting to link this with Brexit, it's far-fetched to do so since -

- after various similar alarms early in the Covid saga, borders, including Schengen area borders, between EU member states were similarly closed;

- and blocking cross channel freight harms EU states just as much as the UK: not just France, since many of the 16000 trucks which cross the channel every day transit France or Belgium en route to/from other EU states.

[mewzilla]

Now that I think about it...

It’s not just about Brexit.

It’s also about the NHS and TDS.

[laplata]

You make some very good points.

[laplata]

What are the NHS and TDS? (I can’t keep up with it all).

[mewzilla]

National Health Service (aka the UK’s largest employer) and Trump Derangement Syndrome. :-)

[mewzilla]

The UK was/is up to its bum in Spygate for a reason.