Dominican Minister of Tourism asks for flights suspension from the UK
The Tourism Minister, David Collado, asked the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) to suspend flights from the United Kingdom, where a new strain of COVID-19 has been detected that makes its transmission much faster.
Collado informed through his Twitter account that he made the request to the JAC, in coordination with the Public Health authorities, and asks that it be made effective as of tomorrow, Tuesday, December 22nd.
If flights from the United Kingdom are canceled, the Dominican Republic joins representatives of other countries that have taken this measure amid reports of a new variant of COVID-19 that is hitting the European country.
The new strain is not limited to the United Kingdom. Belgium also reported that is also circulating there and surrounding countries.
“New strain”
Experts say it is unclear if the “new strain” spreads faster or if they raise any concerns for vaccines or cause more serious illness.
Viruses evolve naturally as they move through populations, some more than others. It is one of the reasons we need a new flu vaccine every year.
New variants, or strains, of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been observed almost since it was first detected in China almost a year ago.
Ban from other countries
A growing list of European Union countries banned travel from the United Kingdom.
France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and Bulgaria, as well as Israel, Denmark, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia, announced restrictions on UK travel, hours before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the purchases and Christmas gatherings in southern England should be canceled due to the rapid spread of infections attributed to the new variant of the coronavirus.
Johnson immediately put those regions under a strict Classification 4, hampering Christmas plans for millions of people.
Germany, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, called an emergency meeting on Monday with the 27 members of the bloc to coordinate the response to the new virus.