(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. is preparing travel restrictions to stop the spread of a new coronavirus variant from Brazil.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced calls to act on the new south American strain during a meeting with lawmakers in Parliament on Wednesday afternoon and on Thursday one of his ministers said protective measures are being readied.
Johnson’s team was criticized for being slow to introduce restrictions at the U.K. border during the first wave of the pandemic last spring. And a new plan for all arriving passengers to require a negative Covid test was due to come into force on Friday but has been delayed until Jan. 18.
“It takes a little bit of time,” government minister Victoria Atkins told Sky News when asked about curbs on south American flights. “Practical measures are being worked on at the moment.”
The U.K. is battling a surge in cases of the virus, which has so far killed 84,767 people. The government is constantly reviewing its lockdown measures but Johnson and his scientific adviser on Wednesday suggested the current rules are starting to work.
The government was due by Friday to impose a requirement for arrivals from anywhere in the world to show they have tested negative for the disease in the 72 hours before starting their journey. But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said late on Wednesday the rule will now not come into force until next week.
The delay is “to give international arrivals time to prepare,” Shapps said on Twitter. Anyone without proof of a negative test will be fined 500 pounds ($683), he said.
Últimas Noticias
Debanhi Escobar: they secured the motel where she was found lifeless in a cistern
Members of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Nuevo León secured the Nueva Castilla Motel as part of the investigations into the case
The oldest person in the world died at the age of 119
Kane Tanaka lived in Japan. She was born six months earlier than George Orwell, the same year that the Wright brothers first flew, and Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize
Macabre find in CDMX: they left a body bagged and tied in a taxi
The body was left in the back seats of the car. It was covered with black bags and tied with industrial tape
The eagles of America will face Manchester City in a duel of legends. Here are the details
The top Mexican football champion will play a match with Pep Guardiola's squad in the Lone Star Cup
Why is it good to bring dogs out to know the world when they are puppies
A so-called protection against the spread of diseases threatens the integral development of dogs
