ROME – Italy has detected the new strain of the coronavirus in a patient who had recently arrived in the country from the United Kingdom (UK), reported Anadolu Agency quoting the country’s Health Ministry.
The patient had landed at Rome’s Fiumicino airport and is now in quarantine, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.
Several European countries, including Italy, have banned flights to and from the UK after the country announced a new strain of the virus is spreading in London and southern England.
With a surging new coronavirus strain, fresh restrictions will cancel Christmas mixing in London, the southeast and the east of England starting Sunday morning, Britain’s prime minister announced on Sunday.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock also said Sunday that the new coronavirus strain is “out of control.”
Over 1,100 people in the UK have been infected with the new strain of the virus, according to official figures.
CNBC reported that UK last week warned of a new coronavirus variant that is thought to be up to 70% more transmissible than the original strain of the disease. According to the World Health Organization, the new variant has so far been identified in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia.
News of the strain forced the British government to backtrack on plans to let families mix over Christmas, locking down London and other areas in southern England where infections by the Covid mutation are heavily concentrated.
Over the weekend, several countries announced plans to shut their borders to Britain. In Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands have all barred flights from the UK, while Austria and Sweden are reportedly preparing to do the same.
France banned people and freight coming from the UK, whether by road, air, sea or rail, for 48 hours from Sunday night. The port of Dover was also closed to all vehicle traffic leaving the U.K., according to a statement from authorities. The move is expected to cause miles of lorry back-ups.
On Monday, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it was “slightly surprising” that France had closed its border to freight.
The German government, meanwhile, suspended all flights from the UK from midnight on Sunday. German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the U.K. virus mutation had not yet been identified in the country.
Belgium’s ban prevents flights and trains — including the popular Eurostar high-speed rail service — arriving from the UK. Meanwhile, Italy has blocked all flights from the country through to Jan. 6, with the Italian health ministry saying its first case of the new virus variant had been reported in Rome. The Netherlands has banned flights from Britain until Jan. 1.
Ireland, which usually has significant passenger traffic with the UK at this time of year, announced flights arriving from England, Wales and Scotland would be banned for at least 48 hours from midnight.
