Boris Johnson has announced that all travel corridors to the UK will be closed from Monday in an effort to halt the spread of “as yet unidentified new strains” of coronavirus.
Britain’s prime minister made the announcement on Friday amid a mixed picture in the UK’s efforts to tackle Covid-19.
The latest figures stated another 55,761 positive tests for the disease — continuing the falling trend over the past seven days — but 1,280 further deaths were recorded.
Mr Johnson said these “additional steps” on restricting travel were necessary to tackle any new strains. Individuals travelling to the UK will need proof of a negative test taken 72 hours prior to departure and will be required to fill out a passenger locator form.
Passengers will also be expected to self-isolate for a 10-day period after landing, with “substantial fines” for those who fail to adhere to the rules. The measures will be in place for at least a month.
Boris Johnson announced the new travel restrictions during Friday’s Downing Street press conference © Dominic Lipinski/Pool/AP
Mr Johnson said: “It is vital to take these extra measures now when day by day, hour by hour, we are making such strides in protecting the population.”
On Thursday, the UK banned most people arriving from South America and Portugal under tough measures to try to control the spread of a strain of coronavirus first identified in Brazil.
Take the lid off now and it is going to boil over for sure
Patrick Vallance, England’s chief scientific adviser
The government, Financisl Times reports, announced that more than 3.2m people had been vaccinated, including almost 45 per cent of the over-80s and around 40 per cent of older residents in care homes.
But Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, warned that deaths would continue to rise for some days and would not drop until the vaccine had been delivered to a greater proportion of the population.
“The number of people entering into hospital is still rising in most parts of the country and the number of people in hospital is still rising in most parts or all parts of the country,” he said.
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