Netherlands will ban flights carrying passengers from the United Kingdom from Sunday as Britain detected a new coronavirus strain.
A travel ban will remain in place until Jan. 1, the government said in a statement early Sunday, adding that it is monitoring developments and is considering additional measures regarding other modes of transport.
Netherlands added that in early December, sampling of a case in the country had revealed the same virus strain as that found in the UK.
In measures to control the spread of virus, government issued a “do not travel” advisory, unless it is absolutely essential.
The World Health Organization said on Saturday it was in close contact with UK officials over a new COVID-19 virus variant.
“They’ll (UK officials) continue to share info & results of their analysis & ongoing studies. We’ll update Member States & public as we learn more about the characteristics of this virus variant & any implications”, WHO said in a tweet.
A new strain of coronavirus identified in the United Kingdom is up to 70% more infectious but it is not thought to be more deadly and vaccines should still be effective, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and scientists said on Saturday.
Johnson also said London and southeast England, which are currently in the highest level of a three-tier system of rules, would now be placed in a new Tier 4 level.