Prevent New Variant Virus Corona, UK Bans Arrival From Latin America And Portugal

Airport illustration. (Chuttersnap / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - In order to prevent the entry of a new coronavirus variant from Brazil, the British Government has banned all arrivals from countries in South America and Portugal.

This is as announced by the UK Transport Minister Grants Shapps, in a tweet on his Twitter account. Portugal is a prohibited country, because it has 'closeness' to Brazil.

Launching euronews, this precautionary measure takes effect from Friday, January 15, morning local time. However, this policy does not apply to citizens of the UK or Ireland, or those who have a residence in the UK.

"Citizens and returnees must be isolated for ten days. Then, drivers transporting essential goods from Portugal are also exempted from this ban," tweeted Shapps.

I've taken the urgent decision to BAN ARRIVALS from ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, BOLIVIA, CAPE VERDE, CHILE, COLOMBIA, ECUADOR, FRENCH GUIANA, GUYANA, PANAMA, PARAGUAY, PERU, SURINAME, URUGUAY AND VENEZUELA 4AM - from TOMORROW, 15 following evidence of a new variant in Brazil. 1/3

- Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) January 14, 2021

Meanwhile, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva, called the UK decision "absurd" and "without logic", in an interview with the newspaper Diario de Noticias.

Augusto said there was no evidence that the variant found in Brazil was circulating in Portugal.

To note, the Japanese authorities discovered a new variant of travelers arriving from countries in the South American region and announced it on January 10.

The variants differ from those found in the UK and reported in Europe, which caused various countries to discontinue travel from the UK. Brazil itself had previously stopped flights from Britain, due to worries about this new variant.