New COVID-19 Variant Worryingly, China Stops Flights From Britain

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JAKARTA - China will suspend direct flights to and from the UK indefinitely. This is because China is worried about a new variant of the corona virus. This was conveyed directly by Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

"After much deliberation, China has decided to take references from other countries and suspend flights to and from the UK," said Wang.

"China will monitor relevant developments and dynamically adjust control measures depending on the situation," added Wang.

Countries around the world closed their borders to and from the UK following the emergence of a new variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 to launch Reuters on Friday, December 25. The virus is more contagious than the commonly known coronavirus.

There are currently eight weekly flights between mainland China and the UK, according to aviation data provider Variflight. One flight each by Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. British Airways operates two flights a week from London to Shanghai.

China has banned entry of travelers from the UK since November, including those with valid visas and residence permits. This is due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, the Chinese visa application center in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, will be temporarily closed from December 29 until further notice. These rules comply with government requirements.

Meanwhile two Chinese visa manufacturing centers in the UK, namely London and Manchester, said they would close December 22 and December 29, respectively, as fears of the spread of a new variant of the coronavirus grew.

The new variant of the coronavirus in Britain was first detected in September. As of November, about a quarter of the COVID-19 cases in London came from a new variant of the coronavirus. This number reached nearly two-thirds of cases in mid-December.

It is thought that the variant has attacked many patients in the UK or in countries with a lower ability to monitor the mutation of the coronavirus. This variant can be found throughout England, except Northern Ireland, but is highly concentrated in London, Southeast England and East England. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-china/china-to-suspend-uk-flights-indefinitely-foreign-ministry-idUSKBN28Y0PZ