The move to bar entry from the U.K., announced by Paris late Sunday, cuts off Britain’s main freight link to Europe, shutting down trade between ports like Dover and Calais that handle up to 10,000 trucks a day. The travel ban, initially set for 48 hours, came as a host of nations including Germany, Canada, and Denmark barred passengers from Britain after U.K. officials said a new, more transmissible strain of coronavirus was responsible for a surge in cases in London and southeast England.
To combat the spread, officials in the U.K. imposed fresh restrictions across the most affected areas at the weekend, while curtailing plans to loosen measures for the Christmas period nationwide. Already, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium have confirmed a small number of cases of the new coronavirus strain, dubbed N501Y, which scientists believe could be as much as 70% more transmissible than established strains. Officials from European countries convened Monday to discuss how to respond, while the British government was to hold an emergency meeting amid concerns over shortages in some stores stemming from disruption at the border. -Full Report
