After the Netherlands and Belgium, several other European countries have also introduced entry bans on travelers from the United Kingdom. The emergency European consultations will continue on Monday afternoon. Non-European countries like Canada are now canceling air traffic from Great Britain.
Holland It is the first to announce on Sunday a flight ban on all aircraft arriving from the United Kingdom due to the mutating virus variant. The Rutte government immediately requested that European consultations be held. Our country did not wait for that. Prime Minister Alexandre de Crew announced the Open VLD on Sunday during the seventh day The same decision. Since midnight, the entry ban applies to travelers arriving by plane, boat or Eurostar Belgium And you want to travel to the United Kingdom. The emergency procedure is applied for a period of 24 hours.
The ban applies not only to travelers whose final destination is Belgium, but also to transit travelers, who change only in our country. Cargo transportation appears to be possible. For now, the procedure is in effect for 24 hours because scientific advice is still in full swing. “We don’t have a definitive answer yet,” said de Crowe.
Belgians at risk of falling into the UK as a result of this measure can contact the Belgian Embassy in London, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for support.
Sunday evening is also decided France To introduce an entry ban from midnight, already for the next 48 hours. This was announced by the French Minister of Transport, Jean-Baptiste Jabbari. This applies to flights, boats and trains. This is also important to us, because in France, Eurostar trains from the United Kingdom reach the European mainland, and travelers can travel from there to Belgium.
Flights “linked to the transportation of goods” are also banned. Hence, only unaccompanied shipments will be permitted. Passenger transport to the UK will still be permitted.
The procedure is valid for 48 hours. According to Prime Minister Jan Castex, the intention is for EU member states to enter into agreements during that period on “common rules and controls for flows from the United Kingdom”. Passenger traffic should start again from December 22, but travelers will have to undergo a coronavirus test before departure.
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Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio also suspended flights on Sunday Italy And the United Kingdom announced. “As a government, we have a duty to protect Italians,” Di Maio said. “Our priority is to protect Italy and our citizens.”
Ireland The suspension of flights and ferries from the UK, and as in France, the measure is already in effect for 48 hours. The government will consider whether the restrictions should be extended on Tuesday.
Also in Germany Flights from the UK are no longer permitted to land after midnight. The no-fly zone will initially apply until December 31. There are some exceptions, such as cargo flights, flights with medical staff, or when planes return with crew only. The Germans also no longer allow flights from South Africa, where a mutation of the Coronavirus has also appeared.
Dozens of European countries have announced similar measures. About Austria, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Bulgaria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic in a Sweden. In Bulgaria, the no-fly zone continues until the end of January, while the temporary measure applies until January 1 in many other countries.
Outside Europe on the Americas Argentina, Canada, Colombia in a Chili pepper Flights from the UK are banned. On top of that, I did too Kuwait, Turkey, Iran, El Salvador in a The Zionist entity The same. The last two countries also imposed a ban on flights from South Africa. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia It is taking the order tougher and has suspended all international flights and access to its ports for at least a week.
In the US, they seem less anxious. The authorities there say they are monitoring the new format “closely”, but have not planned a travel ban from the UK at this time. “I don’t think there is any reason to be alarmed at this point,” said Brett Gerwier, the senior official overseeing the US test drive.
Urgent consultations between the member states of the European Union
The European Union, with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Charles Michel, sat with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday to discuss the new alternative to the virus. The emergency European consultations will continue on Monday. The World Health Organization calls on its European members to “tighten control”.
