Boris Johnson

Several countries have banned or will ban flights and travellers from the UK after the British government said on Sunday that the spread of a more infectious new strain of the coronavirus was now “out of control”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the fast-moving new variant of the virus that is 70 per cent more transmissible than existing strains appears to be driving the rapid spread of new infections in London and southern England.

“There’s no evidence to suggest it is more lethal or causes more severe illness,” Mr Johnson said, or that vaccines will be less effective against it.

France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Finalnd, Denmark, Kuwait, Turkey, Morocco, El Salvador, Romania, Iran, Israel, Colombia and Saudi Arabia have all said they will halt flights arriving from the UK.

The Czech Republic has imposed stricter quarantine measures for people arriving from Britain.

The Netherlands is banning flights from the UK for at least the rest of the year while Italy’s foreign minister Luigi Di Maio also announced curbs were being imposed.

The UK government has tightened its COVID-19 restrictions for London and nearby areas, disrupting Christmas holiday plans for millions.