The list of nations banning travel from the United Kingdom is growing, with Canada now on the list. Will the United States also ban travel from the UK out of an abundance of caution over the new highly-infectious “mutant” strain of coronavirus?
More Countries Banning Travel From UK
Within hours of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing that lockdowns would be tightened across southern England due to a new strain of coronavirus feared significantly more contagious, several nations responded by blocking travel from the UK.
As of press time, that list includes:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Colombia
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia,
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- India
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Portugal
- Romania
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- The Netherlands
- Turkey
Bans vary in duration from 48 hours (in the case of France) to 30 days (for El Salvador).
The European Union as a block is meeting later today to discuss a unified approach to the problem, which is still developing. It is not clear how this “mutant” strain of the virus originated or why it is ravaging through England at an alarming rate.
Canada banned traffic from the United Kingdom for 72 hours, effective at midnight Sunday. Cargo flights are exempt, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted that all passenger arriving ahead of the ban on Sunday would face strict secondary screening measures.
Will The United States Also Ban Travel From UK?
U.S. officials have indicated that travel from the UK will not be curbed at this time. Surgeon General Jerome Adams noted on Face the Nation:
“We don’t even know if it’s really more contagious yet or not, or if it just happened to be a strain that was involved in a super-spreader event. Right now, we have no indications that it is going to hurt our ability to continue vaccinating people or that it is any more dangerous or deadly than the strains that are out there and we currently know about.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pummeled the decision, stating:
“Right now, this variant in the UK is getting on a plane and flying to JFK. Right now. Today. Literally six flights a day. And all it takes is one person…
“How many times in life do you have to make the same mistake before you learn? The federal government is being grossly negligent just like the spring, and every day they do nothing on this problem, they do something.”
The United States currently does not mandate testing or quarantine for passengers arriving from the United Kingdom.
CONCLUSION
This is a developing story, but it does not appear the United States will ban travel from the UK, even as the number of countries which are banning traffic from the UK continues to grow.
image: British Airways
I thought UK/EU citizens have not been allowed to enter the USA…. since March? If that’s still the case, I guess most of the people flying from UK to USA are US Citizens.
@Joey. That is essentially correct. So it would mean effectively banning US citizens entering the US from the UK. However, this strain of COVID has also been identified in quite a few other countries, so measures are probably too late.
Nope this is a hoax.
Trump supporters please do not listen to leftist radical MSM. I need your help to reach 4500 by jan/15. You know what to do.
Why doesn’t the USA have a mandatory quarantine program for returning citizens? While I *get* the imperative to keep the borders open to facilitate the return of US nationals, surely to leave the door wide open for this more virulent strain is asking for wider spread, more disease and death…
I am planning to fly from the EU to the US via London after Christmas. If this happens, will the airline reroute me through another city for free?
For context there have been 4000+ mutations identified for COVID-19 with none so far that are immune from the vaccine. Some are more virulent than others…the idea that this one is the one that will destroy mankind is silly.
Boris Johnson was taking heat for reversing his decision on Christmas restrictions and he decided to throw this little tidbit in to freak entire world out. This strain and others are already likely present in other parts of the world and likely partly responsible for the recent surges.
It amazes me when a buffoon like Cuomo (who basically murdered thousands of seniors by requiring nursing homes to accept COVID patients) then bitches about how anyone else handles issues related to COVID. Even more nauseating is that the media cover this as if it’s the most sincere speech ever. His state is the model for how NOT to handle a pandemic. They still have the worse overall fatality numbers of any state in the US.
And Cuomo’s drama queen crap about flights doesn’t take into account that there are flights every day between many nations which have very restricted entry requirements. Those flights still need to operate for various reasons. But a mook like Cuomo is either too dumb to realize this or he’s trying to hard to be a Broadway actor (which are going extinct thanks to him) by pretending that he’s so ‘concerned’.
But I bet you think Trump did and continues to do a heckuva job, right?
I bet the one person per month that flies between the UK and El Salvador is really pissed right now.
This variation isn’t concerning. Total overreaction by everyone
Isn’t anyone else curious as to this latest development. The vaccines are approved and started to be given and yet here we are, with a “mutant” strain. I’ve tried to distance myself from all the conspiracy theories to save my sanity but this is just getting too strange.
Add Chile, Colombia, and Argentina to the list
All viruses mutate.
Not many people have been vaccinated yet.
The current vaccines are still effective against the new strain.