Spain studies joining the closure of flights to the United Kingdom decided by several European countries

British Airways planes at London Gatwick airport in May.BEN STANSALL / AFP

The European Union has begun this Sunday to shield itself against the United Kingdom to try to stop the spread of a new strain of the virus, detected in the British Isles and to which the government of Boris Johnson attributes the rise in cases of covid-19 in his country .

The Dutch government of Mark Rutte was the first to ban flights from the UK, from December 20 to January 1.

Belgium and Italy have also announced the veto of passengers from Great Britain and Germany and France are studying and applying the same measure.

The isolation of the United Kingdom by plane, ship and train coincides with the final stretch of the negotiations on a trade agreement to avoid a drastic rupture on December 31, when the grace period agreed upon after the country's departure from the EU expires on January 31st.

The Johnson executive thus runs into a perfect storm, caused by the final blow of Brexit and by the last blow of the SARS-Cov-2 virus.

Spain, for its part, will cut flights with the United Kingdom if a joint response from the European Union does not arrive.

“After hearing the announcement of several countries to suspend their flights with the United Kingdom, we inform that the Government of Spain has this morning asked the President of the European Commission, Úrsula von der Leyen, and the President of the Council, Charles Michel, a coordinated community response to this new situation, "say Executive sources.

The border lock also opens up a mystery about the EU's health strategy, which during the second wave had managed to keep communications open between member states and avoid the chaos in passenger and freight transport experienced during the first wave.

For transport purposes, the UK remains a de facto member of the EU until December 31, so the ban on its flights and trains could anticipate an escalation of bans if the third wave if the third wave rushes or hits from more virulent than expected.

Italy is one of the countries that has not waited for a common decision.

The Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, has communicated the closure of his country to the United Kingdom on Twitter: “As a Government we have a duty to protect Italians and for that reason, after having notified the English Government, we are about to sign a measure with the Minister of Health to suspend flights with Great Britain.

Our priority is to protect Italy and our countrymen ”.

Come Governo abbiamo il dovere di proteggere gli Italiani, per questa ragione, dopo ver avvisato il Governo Inglese, with @MinisteroSalute stiamo per firmare il provvedimento per suspendere i flew with Great Britain.

➡️ https://t.co/ISFQqBEkZO

- Luigi Di Maio (@luigidimaio) December 20, 2020

The new variant has forced the United Kingdom to tighten restrictions in London and other parts of the south of the country.

According to the Executive of Boris Johnson, it has a greater transmission capacity (up to 70% more than the previous strain) and, therefore, infections occur more quickly - although scientists warn that it is not yet known if this new strain strain is actually more contagious.

A new contagion of this new strain has already been detected in the Netherlands: the Dutch Ministry of Health has reported the presence of the pathogen in the country and its department is now investigating the origin of the infection.

In light of the situation, the Government has banned passenger flights from the UK until January 1 and is currently investigating whether to extend the restrictions.

The suspension of flights does not include cargo flights, and neither does travel by land and boat, but it is advisable to travel only in case of extreme need.

Belgium has also announced a closure similar to that of the Netherlands as of midnight this Sunday, as announced by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo.

Eurostar rail connections from the United Kingdom are also temporarily suspended, according to the daily

L'Echo

.

As De Croo explained, for now, the measure will have an initial validity of 24 hours because the scientific community is still making an assessment of the situation.

"We do not have a conclusive answer," added the Belgian prime minister.

Barbara Visser, Secretary of State for Defense of the Netherlands, explained this Sunday in a television program that she will study, together with other European countries, "if it were possible to establish a stricter control of the borders."

Travelers arriving from the UK will be required to observe a 10-day quarantine.

Early this Sunday, Schiphol International Airport was preparing to evaluate the effect of the suspension of flights.

A spokesman for KLM, the national airlines, have indicated that, "only today, eight planes were supposed to take off from London en route to Amsterdam."

Following the announcement by the Netherlands, it emerged that France is analyzing the possibility of suspending travel from British territory.

Also Germany: Health Minister Jens Spahn explained this Sunday that his department is preparing a special regulation that will make it possible for German airports to ban flights to and from the United Kingdom and South Africa, where a new strain of the virus also circulates .

Air traffic restrictions are "a serious option that is being considered by Berlin," a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by several German media.

"The information available on the mutation is being evaluated at full speed and the German government is also in contact with its European partners."

The virus mutation has not yet been detected in Germany.

62% of new infections in the UK

According to the latest data, up to 62% of the new infections registered in the British capital respond to the new variant of the virus, which has become the dominant one.

Boris Johnson, accompanied this Saturday in an extraordinary appearance by the Government's main medical advisers, explained that the data collected does not lead to the conclusion that the variant produces more serious symptoms of the disease, or greater mortality.

Pending new tests, the Executive's scientific advisory team continues to trust that the vaccines will be effective with this new type of virus.

In any case, the prime minister has warned, the new data have forced a change in criteria and toughen social restriction measures in the affected areas.

The sample with the new coronavirus strain was detected in early December in the Netherlands and the health authorities are now investigating the status of the person who has tested positive - whose identity has not transcended - as well as their environment.

According to Marion Koopmans, a member of the scientific team advising the Dutch Government and also the WHO, it is expected that the current vaccines in turn will serve against this new variant.

In the long run, however, he believes that they will have to be adapted to mutations, as he has explained to the national media.

The first round of vaccinations will take place in the Netherlands from January 8, and the Institute for Health and the Environment (RIVM, in its Dutch acronym) that advises the Government, has indicated that the new strain circulates in the United Kingdom “since September, and only one Dutch case has been discovered to date;

something has happened now that has made [the British authorities] take extra measures ”, according to a spokesman for the institute.

"That viruses mutate to become more infectious is not surprising"

This is not the first new strain of concern for SARS-Cov-2 to be detected.

The Danish government in November ordered millions of minks to be euthanized after the detection of another variant of the coronavirus that spread among breeding farms and then jumped to humans.

This variant of the coronavirus had four new mutations, some of them in the most important part of the pathogen: the S protein that is essential for SARS-CoV-2 to infect and that is the target of many of the vaccines that are in development .

It has not yet been possible to show that these new strains are more contagious or infectious than those already detected.

"That viruses mutate to become more infectious is not surprising and that this could happen with new and emerging viruses has been known for some time," said Paul Hunter, professor at the Norwich School of Medicine, University of East Anglia, Scientific news service SMC.

"For me, these reports on the transmissibility of the new variant are even more worrying than I had anticipated," he adds.

The expert believes it is only "a matter of time" before this variant of the virus becomes dominant in the UK and appears in other countries.

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