New strain of coronavirus in the UK: what restrictions have been announced by European countries?

While the British authorities have decreed the reconfinement of London and South-East England from Sunday, several European countries have quickly announced the suspension of flights from the United Kingdom.

British Airways aircraft at London-Gatwick Airport on May 1, 2020. (BEN STANSALL / AFP)

A wind of anxiety is blowing in Europe after the spread of a new variant of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom. Several countries of the Old Continent announced, Sunday, November 20, the suspension of flights arriving on their territory from the British territory.

This new strain is "out of control," acknowledged UK Health Minister Matt Hancock, justifying a reconfinement of London and the southeast of the UK. "It will be very difficult to keep it under control until a vaccine is deployed," he warned, adding that this variant of the coronavirus could be up to 70 percent more contagious than the previous one. The variant has also been detected "in small numbers" in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia, the World Health Organization said Sunday, calling on Europeans to "strengthen their controls".

The Netherlands first to suspend flights from the United Kingdom

As a result, several European capitals immediately announced the suspension of flights and trains to the United Kingdom. In the Netherlands, the government stopped all passenger flights from the United Kingdom from Sunday morning until January 1.

Italy is also going to suspend flights with the United Kingdom, announced Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Sunday afternoon on social networks, without specifying when this measure would come into effect. As for Belgium, it will suspend flights and trains from the United Kingdom from Sunday at midnight. Faced with the multiplicity of these decisions, Spain called for a "coordinated" response from the European Union. 

"The objective is to protect the rights of European citizens through coordination and avoiding unilateral measures". the Spanish government in a communiqué

France says it is monitoring the situation "very closely". Emmanuel Macron also held talks on Sunday afternoon with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, the Elysée said.

Health Defense Council in France, Germany in turn suspends its air links

The French President, isolated at the Pavillon de la Lanterne in Versailles (Yvelines) since he tested positive at Covid-19, convened an exceptional health defense council by videoconference late Sunday afternoon, the Elysée told France Télévisions.

For its part, Germany is preparing to suspend "from Sunday midnight" its air links with the United Kingdom, a government source told AFP late Sunday afternoon. This decision, which could be adopted by the whole European Union, must be formalized "in the next few hours", stressed this source. Germany "is in contact on the dossier with its European partners," a government spokesman wrote a little earlier in a statement.

Risk of worsening transport problems linked to Brexit

Such a disruption to air and rail traffic, if it persists, could exacerbate the transport problems associated with Brexit, as the United Kingdom leaves the EU's single market, which guarantees free movement within its borders, on December 31.

Since the beginning of December, huge truck traffic jams have been visible near Calais (Pas-de-Calais), close to the Channel Tunnel. As the Brexit approaches, British companies are stockpiling, causing a real traffic jam on the roads.