Three cases of the new British variant of the coronavirus, presumably more contagious than the original strain, have been detected in South Korea, health authorities said on Monday.
The three infected people belong to the same London-based family who arrived in South Korea on December 22, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
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They had been placed in solitary confinement on their arrival after having tested positive for Covid-19, the agency said in its press release.
This new strain, which recently appeared in Great Britain, has been spotted in several European countries as well as on other continents, and in particular in Canada, Jordan and Japan.
According to studies presented in the UK, the new variant is more contagious than the original strain.
But there is no evidence at this stage that it causes more serious forms of the disease.
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More than 50 countries have ordered restrictions on travel from Britain.
South Korea has notably banned flights to Britain until the end of the year.
South Korean authorities are currently working to contain a third wave of the epidemic, which is concentrated in the Seoul area, where the number of new cases per day has repeatedly exceeded 1,000 in recent days.
