New Covid variant could become dominant globally, says Sage expert

The new variant of Sars-Cov-2 could become the dominant strain as it has an “evolutionary advantage in transmitting more quickly”, a government adviser has suggested. 

Professor Calum Semple, a member of the Sage scientific advisory group, said told Sky News that the UK “shouldn’t beat ourselves up about this evolving here” as the country is a world leader in genomic research. 

“The fact is we’ve identified it, we’ve brought it to national attention, we’ve got the attention of the politicians and the World Health Organisation in very quick time.”

When asked whether the variant could become dominant globally, he added: “I suspect it will, or similar strains like it will. Because this virus has an evolutionary advantage in transmitting more quickly, it will out-compete all the other strains.”

But he insisted that there is not yet any evidence that the efficacy of vaccines will be impacted, though scientists are working hard to establish the impact – a process that could take several weeks.

His comments come as a growing list of countries, including France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, announced restrictions on UK travel following the disclosure that the highly infectious new strain is widespread across south-east England.

Boris Johnson will hold crisis talks with ministers this morning after France banned lorries carrying freight from the UK and countries around the world cancelled flights.

But the UK’s supplies of the Covid vaccine will not be affected by travel bans being imposed on Britain, the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said, as “it comes via containers and the container traffic isn’t affected at all.” 

Story continues

Follow the latest updates below.

04:08 PM

Cases are ‘increasing at similar rates’ inside and outside Tier 4

At the Science Media Centre briefing Professor Neil Ferguson, a member of the Nervtage sub-committee, said cases outside of Tier 4 “are increasing at similar rates” of affected areas.

“It’s just that the virus is a lower proportion of all cases and therefore it’s less visible in the overall case numbers as yet,” he said. 

He added that there is  strong evidence the new mutant strain is 50 per cent more transmissible than the previous virus – and an indication that the new variant of coronavirus has infected more children.

“We will need to gather more data to see how it behaves going forward,” Prof Ferguson said. “There are other epidemiologically interesting trends with virus, there is a hint that it has a higher propensity to infect children… but we haven’t established any sort of causality on that, but we can see that in the data.”

03:56 PM

‘High confidence’ that new variant is highly infectious, Nervtag experts warn

More than a dozen scientists have met to discuss the new Sars-Cov-2 variant spreading in the UK – and perhaps further afield – this afternoon, and concluded with “high confidence” that the mutation makes Covid more transmissible.

It comes after Nervtag – a sub-committee of the Sage scientific advisory committee – minutes released at the weekend showed experts had “moderate confidence” that the variant was more infectious than other strains in circulation. 

Peter Horby, chairman of NervTag, told a Science Media Centre briefing: “This afternoon more than a dozen scientists met again, with some new faces who weren’t at the Friday meeting.

“We went through all the data again and the additional analysis, both on bigger data sets and using different methods.

“The conclusion this afternoon is that we now have high confidence that this variant does have a transmission advantage over other virus variants that are currently in the UK.”

03:52 PM

Sudan announces travel ban for UK, Netherlands and South Africa

Yet another country has announced travel bans amid mounting concern about the new Sars-Cov-2 variant: Sudan will ban travellers from Britain, the Netherlands and South Africa from December 23, the head of the civil aviation authority told Reuters today. 

The ban will last three weeks subject to renewal and more countries could be added to the list as the situation develops, Ibrahim Adlan said.

03:49 PM

Sweden bans travellers from Britain and Denmark

Sweden will stop allowing in foreign travellers from Britain and Denmark in a bid to curb the rapid spread of a new strain of the coronavirus, the government has announced.

“To minimise the risk of it spreading here, the government has today decided on a ban of entry,” Minister for the Interior Mikael Damberg told a news conference, adding that Swedish citizens were exempt from the ban, which comes into effect at midnight for 48 hours. 

Boris Johnson said on Saturday that the new strain had led to spiralling infection numbers, and several European countries have since announced restrictions on travel.

Denmark’s infectious disease authority said last week it had found nine cases of coronavirus infections involving the new strain from November 14 to December 3. It said it was monitoring the new strain closely.

03:48 PM

Suicides among women in Japan and South Korea soar during pandemic

Suicide rates among young women in South Korea and Japan have seen an alarming increase this year, raising fears about the mental health impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has heightened economic insecurities and social isolation.

Both East Asian nations have long suffered some of the highest suicide figures in the world, but experts say the prolonged pandemic has aggravated existing trends. 

They point to the documented surge in South Korea and Japan as a warning to other countries of the hidden consequences of extended social distancing measures and money worries.

Between January and June in South Korea, 1,924 girls and women died by suicide, according to the Korea Suicide Prevention Centre, representing a 7.1 per cent spike on last year. 

The figures indicate that this year’s global health disaster has accelerated an established pattern. According to an Institute for Society and Health report in December 2019, the rise in suicides among Korean millennial women has far outpaced their male counterparts over the last 20 years. 

Nicola Smith and Danielle Demetriou have the full report here.

03:40 PM

EU executive asked to set guidelines on Britain travel curbs

European Union governments have urged the European Commission to urgently draw up guidelines to coordinate the bloc’s approach to travel restrictions on Britain.

A number of countries have already closed their borders to the UK over fears of a highly infectious new coronavirus strain, causing travel chaos.

Within the 27-member European Union, those measures range from a 24-hour travel ban in Belgium to one extending to January 1 in the Netherlands and a ban on goods vehicles in France.

Representatives from the EU member states convened for a video conference today and supported the idea of a coordinated EU approach, an EU diplomat told Reuters. They subsequently asked the European Commission to come up with common guidelines.

The EU members also stressed the importance of keeping borders open within the Schengen Area, the group of 26 countries who have abolished controls on borders with each other.

03:34 PM

Afternoon summary

It’s time for another news summary to help you make sense of a busy day. Here’s an overview of what you need to know:

• Boris Johnson is set to give a press conference at 5pm, after a Cobra meeting about the new variant of Sars-Cov-2, particularly the enormous disruption to the flow of freight between France and the UK.

• It comes as Britain is increasingly shut off from the rest of Europe – and the world – with more than 40 countries imposing travel bans. Peru, Spain and Jordan are among the latest to restrict UK arrivals.

• The new variant of Sars-Cov-2 could become the dominant strain  globally it has an “evolutionary advantage in transmitting more quickly”, a government adviser has suggested. 

• Industry leaders and Downing Street have said there is “no need to panic buy”. But Sainsbury’s has warned it salad leaves and citrus fruits could be missing from the shelves “if nothing changes”.

• According to the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, the UK’s supplies of the Covid jab will not be affected. 

• Hopes have been raised of a rapid resolution after the French Government has that that it aims to establish Europe-wide sanitary protocol measures “in the coming hours” to allow the resumption of traffic flows. Emmanuel Macron has hinted that a testing scheme could be the solution.

• Public Health Wales has said the new strain could be “causing up to 60 per cent of coronavirus infections in Wales”, according to the Welsh deputy chief medical officer.

• First Minister Arlene Foster said the new variant is “probably” already in Northern Ireland, as she announced slashed the five-day holiday relaxation of restrictions, allowing three households to gather, to just Christmas Day.

• Sir Keir Starmer has called the news over the last 24 hours “deeply, deeply disturbing” and warned that “this is now a real emergency.”

In non-travel news:

• A third of major hospital trusts in England currently have more Covid-19 patients than at the peak of the first wave of the virus, new analysis shows.

• The Government told the “clinically extremely vulnerable” to once again start shielding in areas placed under Tier 4 restrictions.

• Europe’s medicines regulator has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, paving the way for a mass immunisation campaign to begin just after Christmas. 

• US congressional leaders reached agreement on a $900 billion package to provide the first new aid in months to an economy and individuals battered by the surging pandemic, with votes likely today.

• And finally, President-elect Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden, are set to receive the coronavirus vaccine on live television later today in Delaware.

03:16 PM

Comment: ‘Mutant Covid means even more trouble for Macron and Europe’

Emmanuel Macron’s ban on lorries entering France wins the prize for the most pointless political gesture since the onset of this pandemic, writes Ambrose Evans-Pritchard. The mutant strain B.1.1.7 is already all over Europe.

Here’s an extract from his comment piece – which you can read in full here:

British scientists spotted it early and have tracked it in real-time because the UK has carried out almost as much genome sequencing of Covid-19 as the rest of the world combined. Harvard epidemiologist William Hanage says the UK has the most advanced genomic monitoring regime on the planet.

Denmark is one of the few other states in Europe that also does extensive and rapid sequencing. Lo and behold, the Danes have found the same mutation. Many countries do little or no genomic sequencing at all. 

It stretches credulity to imagine that a variant picked up in samples as far back as September is not already rampant in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and indeed France. It had months to run when borders were wide open, long before the second lockdowns. 

03:05 PM

Parliament looks set to extend virtual participation due to Tier 4

The Government will seek to extend remote participation in Commons debates the next time the House meets due to Tier 4 restrictions in London, Jacob Rees-Mogg said.

The Commons Leader has written to the Commons Procedure Select Committee outlining the Government’s plans to reduce the number of MPs who need to travel to Westminster to take part in debates.

A Twitter account for the Commons Leader posted: “In light of the Tier 4 restrictions the next time the House meets the Government will seek to extend remote participation to further proceedings in the chamber, including debates on legislation.”

02:52 PM

Peru bans UK and European arrivals

Peru has not only suspended flights to and from UK, but expanded this to include the entirety of Europe, President Francisco Sagasti has announced.

Sagasti said in a televised message that no direct flights from the UK had entered the country since December 15, when flights from Europe restarted.

But health authorities were monitoring passengers from Britain who had entered through connecting flights, he said.

He added that health and travel authorties have been put on maximum alert to prevent the entry of a new strain of coronavirus that has been detected in the UK. 

Peru has been hard-hit by the virus to date, with 997,517 infections reported in total and 37,103 deaths.

02:48 PM

Restrictions may continue until half of UK vaccinated

Vaccination alone will not be enough to bring coronavirus in the community down to “very low levels”, and social restrictions may have to continue until around 50 per cent of the population has been vaccinated, an expert has warned.

Many people have been hoping for a return to normal once the elderly and those most at risk from Covid-19 have received the jab.

But Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said vaccination alone will not be enough to bring the virus circulating in the community to “very low levels”.

Speaking at a Science and Media Centre press briefing, he said: “We actually need to have the absolute amount of virus circulating to be very low. And we won’t do that by vaccination alone until we’re getting 50% of the population vaccinated or more, and that’s going to be quite a bit of a long way off yet.

“So I fear that the sort of restrictions we have, the non-medical interventions, are going to need to be carried on.”

Related: Why ministers shouldn’t gamble on vaccine roll-out success by spring

02:41 PM

Moderna jab triggers mild side effects in those with botox

The Moderna vaccine may cause temporary facial swelling in those with a history of cosmetic dermal fillers, Jordan Kelly-Linden reports. 

Mild side effects to the jab were reported in three people who experienced localised swelling in their face and lips during phase III trials.

The revelation came to light on Thursday during the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee where a panel of experts gathered to review the Moderna vaccine’s clinical trial data.

Two people developed facial swelling after vaccination. One person had undergone the cosmetic procedure two weeks before being vaccinated. The second had most recently had dermal fillers injected about six months before being vaccinated.

A third person experienced swelling of the lip about two days after administration and also reported a similar reaction to the flu jab in the past.

Fillers are considered safe. But rare complications, such as late-onset inflammatory reactions, are a known side effect in hyaluronic acid-based injections.

So far no serious safety concerns have been reported in the Moderna vaccine trials.

02:30 PM

How Europe views the UK amid Covid chaos

Media outlets from across Europe have been reacting to the news of the mutant coronavirus strain discovered in England and the subsequent travel bans – and the Italian media have been scathing in their coverage, reports Nick Squires:

Meanwhile, Russia’s best-selling Komsomolskaya Pravda in its coverage of the UK’s new strain of Covid-19 focused on how Boris Johnson’s announcement sends thousands of people fleeing the Tier 4 area, Nataliya Vasilyeva adds.

So did state-owned Channel One on Monday showed the footage of crowds at St. Pancras and other train stations as people were trying to leave the capital and pointed out to potential economic fallout from the new lockdown. 

02:23 PM

Spain and Portugal suspend flights from UK

Spain will ban all travellers from Britain, except Spanish nationals and residents, from entering the country from Tuesday amid concerns over a rapidly spreading new strain of the coronavirus,

Controls at the border with Gibraltar, where at least one case of the new Covid-19 variant has already been detected, will be stepped up, the government added in a statement today. It said the entry ban for non-residents had been coordinated with neighbouring Portugal, which announced its decision late last night. 

More than 40 nations have now banned travel from Britain amid concerns about the new Sars-Cov-2 variant which is thought to be highly infectious.

An hour ago Paul Charles, the CEO of the travel consultancy The PC Agency, put the total tally at 41 – it looks like that figure now stands at 42. 

02:21 PM

Watch: ‘We are in a real emergency’, says Sir Keir Starmer

02:14 PM

Breaking: EU regulators approve Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Some good news – the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, a decision which comes weeks after Britain and subsequently the US authorised the jab.

“I am delighted to announce that the EMA scientific committee met today and recommended a conditional marketing authorisation in the EU for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech,” EMA chief Emer Cooke told an online press conference.

The European Commission will rubber stamp this approval in the next 48 hours, before doses are delivered to all 27 EU states, paving the way for mass-vaccination to begin. 

Some states, especially Germany – where BioNTech is based – have criticised the EMA for being slow off the mark on vaccine approval. Under pressure to expedite the original decision, the regulator moved a decision meeting from December 29 to today. 

The EMA is set to meet to discuss the Moderna vaccine on January 6.

02:09 PM

French could make tests a pre-requisite for cross-border travel

A croaky-voiced French President Emmanuel Macron held a cabinet meeting today via video, in which he indicated the French could enforce “systematic tests” as a condition for French nationals returning from Britain to France for the holidays.

Macron, in stable condition, has been working from home at the Elysee Palace as he recovers from his Covid-19 infection.

Macron said that the “problematic virus mutation” identified in southern England caused the UK. “to take exceptional decisions on Saturday and accelerate the measure of closures and constraint.”

It brought France to suspend all travel and freight from the UK until Wednesday.

Macron confirmed PCR testing could be required for French nationals wishing to return to home soil. Authorities, he said, could ask “that PCR tests are presented as being negative upon the arrival on (French) territory.”

Similarly, the French government’s decision on re-opening the border to truckers looks like it will rest on the presence of a Covid screening scheme. 

Gabriel Attal, a French government spokesman, told RTL radio that 2,000-3,000 French lorry drivers “could come over the border as soon as possible once European co-ordination and a reinforced health protocol have been set up in the coming hours”.

02:04 PM

A third of hospitals have more Covid-19 patients than during first wave

A grim analysis from the PA news agency here, showing just how much pressure the NHS is currently under due to the pandemic: a  third of major hospital trusts in England currently have more Covid-19 patients than at the peak of the first wave in Spring.

In two regions – eastern England and south-west England – more than half of trusts are above their first-wave peak.

Other trusts have seen their numbers rise so rapidly that they could pass their first-wave peak within days.

The analysis found that of the 127 acute hospital trusts with a 24-hour A&E department in England, 42 (33 per cent) had more Covid-19 patients on December 18 than at the peak of the first wave in the spring. Examples include:

• Mid & South Essex, which recorded 450 confirmed Covid-19 patients on December 18 compared with a first-wave peak of 374. The trust has postponed some non-urgent operations, with surgery prioritised based on clinical need and cancer care unaffected.

• East Suffolk & North Essex, which had 185 patients compared with a first-wave peak of 143.

• Barking, Havering & Redbridge, where there were 300 patients on December 18 versus a first-wave peak of 245. This is currently the only trust in London to have passed the peak.

• Gloucestershire, which had 171 patients compared with a first-wave peak of 149.

Earlier today hospital leaders in Leicester also warned that “the number of people with Covid-19 being cared for at Leicester’s hospitals is at its highest level since the pandemic began” – the region is “experiencing significant pressures” due to the double whammy of rising Covid-19 cases and annual winter pressures (see 11:39am).

01:58 PM

Lobby latest: Most of this year’s UK vaccine supply already in Britain

Back to the daily Lobby meeting between Number 10 and political journalists, where the PM’s official spokesman has been asked about any impact on the vaccine rollout from the border issues.

“We already have the majority of this year’ supply from Pfizer so we have sufficient doses to continue the vaccination programme,” he responded. “But we’ve always had contingency plans in place to ensure the Pfizer vaccine continues to enter the UK, as you would expect us to have.”

Asked why a national lockdown was not introduced, he added: “We’ve been clear that people shouldn’t be travelling out of Tier 4 areas and I would point to the changes that we’ve made in terms of Tier 4.

“We’ve been clear that people should remain at home and that people should limit human interaction. We’ve closed non-essential retail in Tier 4 again to stop the virus transmitting between people in those settings and unfortunately we’ve had to advise people not to meet over Christmas.”

Tier 4, he added, is “designed specifically to try and drive the transmission of the variant Covid down”.

01:52 PM

​Today in photos

Here’s a look at the pandemic in pictures – for the latest news summary head down to 11:07am.

Istanbul, Turkey:

 M20 near Folkestone, UK:

New York, US:

Coolangatta, Australia:

01:40 PM

Lobby Latest: Downing Street urges people not to panic buy

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman has warned the public against panic buying, insisting that the UK has “resilient” supply chains.

“It is the case that the majority of our food doesn’t come in through the short straits,” he told journalists. “It remains the position that people should shop normally and continue to be considerate in the way they shop.”

Number 10 added that the UK Government is in contact with the French authorities about the ban on lorries crossing the channel.

Asked whether Boris Johnson believed the French action was justified, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We are obviously working incredibly closely with our international partners and are working urgently to minimise the disruption as far as possible.

“We are in close contact with the French to try and get this resolved”.

01:33 PM

US: ‘Everything on table’ in terms of possible travel bans

US Assistant Health Secretary Brett Giroir has said that it is “possible” America would ban travel from the United Kingdom as a new variant of the deadly coronavirus spreads in the country, but added nothing had been decided yet.

“I think everything is possible. We just need to put everything on the table, have an open scientific discussion and make the best recommendation,” he said in an interview on CNN, adding the White House coronavirus task force will meet later today.

In other updates from the US:

• President-elect Joe Biden, the incoming first lady, Dr Jill Biden, are set to receive the coronavirus vaccine on live television later today in Delaware –  sending a message to Americans across the country that the vaccine is safe. 

• After months of wrangling the US Congress has agreed a deal on a $900 billion coronavirus relief package, Mitch McConnell, leader of the Republican majority in the Senate, has announced. 

• Essential front-line workers and people aged 75 and above will be the next group to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in the US, according to updated recommendations from the Centres for Disease Control.

01:26 PM

Boris Johnson to hold a press conference this afternoon

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold a Downing Street press conference this afternoon following a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee.

The group has been convened to discuss the spread of the new coronavirus variant and the response of countries – including France – in banning travel from the UK.

01:23 PM

Eurotunnel: Pre-travel tests could reopen UK-France border

Eurotunnel have said they hope that travel between the UK and France will restart from Wednesday or Thursday, if a solution is agreed in the next day. 

Speaking to BBC 5 Live John Keefe, from Eurotunnel, said: “What we are waiting for the French to announce is what the protocol will be to restart movement in the UK to France direction.”

He added that “we expect it will be something around testing”, speculating that the solution could be the introduction of something akin to a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours of travelling across the border. 

“We are hoping that it’s going to be something along those lines then people will be able to start thinking about travel again from Wednesday-Thursday,” he said. 

01:16 PM

Tunisia bans air travel with UK, Australia and South Africa over new variants

Tunisia announced that it has suspended all air travel with Britain, Australia and South Africa, citing fears of a new coronavirus strain.

It has been well-documented that there is a new variant in the UK, which is thought to be highly infectious and circulating quite widely. Two cases linked to this mutation have also been identified in a state-run quarantine facility in Australia.

Meanwhile in South Africa, experts are working to understand the significance of an unrelated mutation which has been identified.

That viruses mutate is not surprising – it happens all the time and most have little impact on how the virus operates. But occasionally, as we have seen in Britain, the changes are substantive. It’s not yet clear if the same is true in South Africa. 

01:07 PM

Covid transmission risk higher in student halls than classrooms

The risk of Covid-19 transmission is greater in student halls and houses than in classrooms and lecture theatres, research suggests.

The largest outbreaks occurred in halls of residences at several universities in England during the autumn term, according to a report from the Office for National Statistics;

Data from the universities of Exeter and Loughborough suggest that the number of Covid-19 cases among the student population rose steeply after the start of the term, but they fell during November.

In Exeter, university students make up the majority of recorded cases in the area during late September and early October.

But the ONS report concludes that there is not enough evidence to be certain whether infections spread from the wider population into the student population, or whether the arrival of students had an impact on the rising levels of Covid-19 in the wider community.

12:57 PM

Wales: New strain could be causing ‘up to 60 per cent’ of new cases

Data from the Office for National Statistics’ coronavirus infection survey shows the new strain of Covid-19 was present in 28 per cent of samples from Wales in the second week of December, the country’s deputy chief medical officer has said.

Professor Chris Jones told a Welsh Government press conference that this figure was “more than double the number in the previous week”.

“Public Health Wales colleagues advise us that they feel this new strain could be causing up to 60 per cent of coronavirus infections in Wales,” Prof Jones said.

First Minister Mark Drakeford added that the new variant of Covid-19 provides “better understanding” for the large increase in cases and people being admitted to hospital in Wales from late November.

At the end of November, the seven-day coronavirus rate for Wales was 232 cases per 100,000 people but this is now 623 cases per 100,000 and rising, he said.

There were just under 1,700 people in Welsh hospitals with coronavirus symptoms a month ago but there are now more than 2,300.

Drakeford said added that critical care units in Wales are operating “far beyond their normal capacity” and NHS staff “are stretched to their limit”.

12:50 PM

Vatican: Morally acceptable for Catholics to use all Covid vaccines

The Vatican has told Roman Catholics that it is morally acceptable for them to use Covid-19 vaccines, even if their production employed cell lines drawn from tissues of aborted fetuses.

A note from the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said the use of such vaccines was permitted as long as there were no alternatives. 

Meanwhile Pope Francis has promised Vatican employees that none of them will lose their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has severely damaged Vatican finances.

“You are the most important thing here. No one is to left out, no one will lose their jobs,” Francis told workers and their children today at a special audience held to exchange Christmas greetings.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc with the Vatican’s finances, forcing it to dip into reserve funds and implement some of the toughest cost-control measures ever in the tiny city-state.

“No one should suffer from the ugly economic effects of this pandemic…We have to work harder to resolve this problem, which is not easy. There is no magic wand. We have to move forward as in the same family,” Francis said in improvised remarks.

12:41 PM

Which countries have banned UK travellers?

Well over 30 countries have now announced travel bans on UK arrivals, though restrictions vary in duration. Here’s a look at the nations closed to Britain:

• In Europe: France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Croatia, Finland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania

• In North America: Canada

• In Asia: Hong Kong, India – while UK arrivals in countries including South Korea, Taiwan and Japan are already subject to restrictions, including quarantines.

• In Latin America: Argentina, El Salvador, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador

• In the Middle East and North Africa: Turkey, Israel, Iran, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Oman.

12:33 PM

Jordan and El Salvador suspend UK flights

And another two countries have joined the long list of nations restricting UK travel. 

Jordan has suspended flights to and from the Britain from today until January 3 due to the new variant that is spreading widely in south-east England, officials said today.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has also said that anyone who had been in Britain or South Africa – where a new Sars-Cov-2 strain is also being investigated – in the past 30 days will not be allowed to enter the country.

12:32 PM

Denmark: Mink breeding banned until 2022

Headlines are dominated by the new highly infectious coronavirus variant – officially called VUI-202012/01 – which has triggered chaos in the UK over the last few days.

But cast your mind back to early November and the strain we were all most concerned by was one that had jumped from humans to mink – and back again. The discovery triggered a mass cull of mink roughly 17 million mink in Denmark.

Today, Danish lawmakers have passed a law to ban mink breeding – retroactively creating the legal basis for its order to cull all mink in the Nordic country in November. The law will ban mink breeding until 2022. 

12:24 PM

Wales: 2,563 new cases and 10 fatalities

There have been a further 2,563 cases of coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 125,329.

Public Health Wales reported another 10 deaths, taking the total in Wales since the start of the pandemic to 3,125.

12:23 PM

Russia bans UK flights

Russia has announced it will suspend flights with the UK for one week over the emergence of a more infectious strain of the coronavirus there.

A government decree said Russia would “temporarily suspend flights with the UK due to the worsening epidemiological situation” starting from midnight local time (9pm GMT) tonight.

12:06 PM

New strain has ‘evolutionary advantage’ so could become dominant globally

Calum Semple, a member of the Sage scientific advisory group, told Sky News that the new variant of Sars-Cov-2 could become the dominant global strain as it has an “evolutionary advantage in transmitting more quickly”.

Adding to our post at 11:40, here’s a little more on what Prof Semple said: 

“When it comes down to the genomic work on the virus and the research and understanding about how the disease is behaving, we are a world leader. We shouldn’t beat ourselves up about this evolving here.

“The fact is we’ve identified it, we’ve got it to national attention, we’ve got it to the attention of the politicians and the WHO in very quick time. 

“The problem we have though, is this virus is travelling through the community very quickly. It is causing more disease, more rapidly than it did before. That is an inescapable truth.”

Asked whether this will become the dominant strain of Covid, he said: “I suspect it will, or similar strains like it will. Because this virus has an evolutionary advantage in transmitting more quickly, it will out-compete all the other strains.”

He added that “there’s no fast way” to check whether vaccines are still efficacy of vaccines against the new mutation, but that scientists in the UK are working hard to find out and should have results within the coming weeks.

11:58 AM

Recap: Keir Starmer accuses Boris Johnson of ‘gross negligence’ in failing to act earlier

11:48 AM

What are you doing to save Christmas? Send us your stories of kindness

The news over the last few days has thrown Yuletide plans and celebrations across the country into turmoil for millions of people. 

With battle-weary Britain in a state of exhaustion, communities, families and friends are rallying together to save Christmas and help support those in need. 

In light of the new Tier 4 restrictions, we want to hear your stories of how you’re practising community kindness this winter.

Fill out the form here for the chance to have your story published in the Telegraph. We may contact you asking for further information.

11:40 AM

Sars-Cov-2 variant likely to become the ‘dominant global strain’

11:39 AM

Leicester’s hospitals: Covid patient numbers at ‘highest level since the pandemic began’

The NHS in Midlands “experiencing significant pressures” due to the double whammy of rising Covid-19 cases and annual winter pressures, hospital leaders have said.

In a statement published this morning, the CEOs of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Groups warned that “the number of people with Covid-19 being cared for at Leicester’s hospitals is at its highest level since the pandemic began in March and continuing to rise.”

At the peak of the first wave, there were 204 people with Covid-19 –  today there are 295 cases in University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. 

They added that high numbers of “very ill people with complex needs” are being seen daily in A&E.

“To continue to maintain care for those who need it and manage additional pressures we are opening additional beds in our community hospitals to care for Covid-19 positive patients,” the statement said. 

“Unfortunately we will also need to postpone some non-urgent planned procedures and operations. Cancer and other urgent surgery will continue.

“People should continue to attend their appointments with us unless advised otherwise. If we do need to make changes, people will be contacted directly.”

Related: Length of Covid hospital stays exceed first wave average as NHS capacity nears brink

11:31 AM

Belarus mull exit tax as coronavirus pandemic precaution

Belarusian officials are considering introducing an exit tax next year, ostensibly to shore up the country’s budget battered by the coronavirus pandemic, Nataliya Vasilyeva reports. 

Yuri Seliverstrov, the country’s finance minister, told the state-owned Belta news agency over the weekend that authorities are thinking about levying fees of up to £25 on each passenger in every car leaving Belarus.

“If our idea is approved, the funds that we raise could be used for pandemic purposes such as disinfection or providing border posts with necessary PPE,” he was quoted as saying.

The idea of an exit fee has stirred uncomfortable memories of the Soviet Union’s exit visas, as the country’s President Alexander Lukashenko continues to suppress large swathes of Belarusian society protesting against his disputed re-election in August.

Previously announced restrictions on Belarusians leaving the country via land crossings due to the pandemic are coming into effect today.

Belarusians will now have to present medical documents or any proof of a dire necessity in order to leave the country unless they’re flying out.

11:22 AM

Sir Keir Starmer: “Make no mistake, this is now a real emergency.”‘

The Labour leader has said that the news over the last 24 hours has been “deeply, deeply disturbing”.

Speaking during a virtual speech on future of the UK, Sir Keir said: “We cannot be in any doubt the virus is now out of control – international flights have been banned, international borders have been shut.

“Make no mistake, this is now a real emergency.”

He called for “strong leadership” and says the Prime Minister “needs to be straight with people about precisely what’s going on”.

And he has added that Boris Johnson needs to address the nation today and host daily press conferences.

11:17 AM

Oman set to close border completely

Oman will close its land, air and sea borders on Tuesday at 1am for one week, state television has reported.

The decision follows measures imposed by various countries following the outbreak of a new strain of Covid-19, Oman TV said.

Unlike many countries across the globe, which have banned arrivals from just the UK, it looks like Oman is taking a blanket approach. 

11:16 AM

UK retail sales pick up ahead of Christmas – but January plunge feared

British retail sales recovered in December as restrictions on shops were eased and consumers bought food and other essentials ahead of Christmas, but the outlook for January was the worst since the summer.

The Confederation of British said its monthly retail sales balance rose to -3 in December from -25 in November, its highest level in three months. But the outlook for January was much more negative with a reading of -33.

“It says something about the challenges the retail sector has faced during 2020 that stable sales volumes in the run-up to Christmas were seen as a good result for the time of year,” CBI economist Ben Jones said.

“The new year looks set for an unpromising start, with retailers anticipating a sharp fall in sales in January.”

The survey was conducted between November 23 and December 14, covering the end of a second English coronavirus lockdown, when non-essential shops were closed – and the return to tiered restrictions.

Follow all the latest markets news over on our business liveblog. 

11:07 AM

Morning summary

It’s been a busy morning – here’s a recap of the key developments you should be aware of:

• The UK is increasingly shut off from the rest of Europe – and the world – with more than 30 countries imposing travel bans amid fears around the new Sars-Cov-2 variant spreading widely in south-east England. Norway, India and Canada are among the latest to restrict arrivals.

• The travel ban has triggered chaos for families, truckers and supermarkets just days before the Brexit cliff edge.

• Industry leaders have said there is “no need to panic buy”, but without a rapid resolution there could be shortages in the long-term. Sainsbury’s has warned it faces fruit and vegetable shortages “if nothing changes”.

• But according to the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, the UK’s supplies of the Covid vaccine will not be affected. 

• Hopes have been raised of a rapid resolution, however, after the French Government has that that it aims to establish Europe-wide sanitary protocol measures “in the coming hours” to allow the resumption of traffic flows with the UK.

• Boris Johnson is set to chair an emergency response meeting later today to discuss international travel, in particular the movement of freight.

• First Minister Arlene Foster said the new strain is “probably” already in Northern Ireland, as she announced slashed the five-day holiday relaxation of restrictions, allowing three households to gather, to just Christmas Day.

In non-travel news:

• The Government told the “clinically extremely vulnerable” to once again start shielding in areas placed under Tier 4 restrictions.

• Passengers who have cancelled their Christmas travel plans will have their train and coach bookings refunded, Grant Shapps has said. 

• Australia’s most populous state has reported its lowest one-day rise in new Covid-19 cases in three days, stoking cautious optimism that authorities have contained an outbreak in Sydney’s northern beachside suburbs.

• Europe’s medicines regulator will today assess the Pfiser-BioNTech vaccine, with a green light putting Europe on course to start inoculations within a week.

• US congressional leaders reached agreement on a $900 billion package to provide the first new aid in months to an economy and individuals battered by the surging pandemic, with votes likely today.

10:55 AM

Portsmouth: Only unaccompanied freight accepted

Portsmouth International Port has advised all passengers and hauliers heading to France not to travel to the port – with the exception of unaccompanied freight.

The move follows restrictions placed on trade by France in reaction to the newly-identified variant of Covid-19 in the UK – though there are some hopes that a resolution may be agreed in “the coming hours” (see 10:33am).

A spokeswoman for the Hampshire port said sailings have not been disrupted and they are not experiencing any queues of lorries. She added that services to Spain and the Channel Islands are operating as normal.

“Due to current travel restrictions in France, only unaccompanied freight has permission to sail,” the port said in a statement: “Passengers and accompanied freight vehicles are advised not to travel to Portsmouth as they will be unable to sail as planned.

“Please make sure if you are bringing unaccompanied freight you have a valid booking.

“Services carrying unaccompanied freight vehicles from Portsmouth to France, and all passengers and freight from France to the UK, are unaffected. Services to and from Spain and the Channel Islands are currently operating as normal.”

10:47 AM

In pictures: UK isolated as a growing list of countries restrict travel

Roads are closed and lorries are parked on the M20 near Folkestone after the French closed the border with the UK amid coronavirus concerns – the Port of Dover has closed and access to the Eurotunnel terminal is suspended.

Here’s what that looks like:

10:38 AM

Russia: No immediate plans to ban UK travel

Russian officials say they have no immediate plans to suspend travel with the UK even though a host of EU countries on Sunday imposed a travel ban to halt the spread of a new, more infectious strain of coronavirus, Nataliya Vasilyeva reports.

After Russia suspended flights to hundreds of foreign destinations in the spring during the first wave of the pandemic, London became one of the first few cities to see scheduled flights resumed this summer.

Asked about potential plans to stop the flights, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said on Monday that Russian authorities are “watching closely” the spread of the new strain and said it was up to the governmental pandemic taskforce to make such a decision.

An official from Russia’s coronavirus pandemic taskforce told Russian media late on Sunday that there were no immediate plans to suspend flights with the UK.

Alexei Navalny, Russia’s opposition leader, on Monday lambasted Russian authorities for not following other European countries in issuing a travel ban immediately and accused top officials of wanting to keep the flights “in order to join their families in London for Christmas.”

Earlier today, Russia reported almost 30,000 new Covid-19 infections – the the country’s biggest daily surge to date (see 9:03am).

10:33 AM

France aims to establish protocols to restart traffic to UK ‘in coming hours’

The French Government has said that that it aims to establish Europe-wide sanitary protocol measures “in the coming hours” to allow the resumption of traffic flows with the UK.

The country’s Transport Minister, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, said on Twitter:

“In the next few hours, at European level, we’re going to establish a solid health protocol to ensure that movement from the UK can resume. Our priority: to protect our nationals and our fellow citizens.”

10:31 AM

The view from the Middle East: Israel turns away UK arrivals

Israel has turned away foreigners attempting to enter the country from Britain, while Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran have also cancelled flights, as Middle Eastern states tighten their restrictions in response to the new strain of coronavirus, James Rothwell reports. 

According to the Times of Israel, non-Israeli passport holders were turned away from the UK-Israel flights on Sunday, while Israelis were warned they will need to quarantine at a state-run hotel upon arrival.

“At Luton [airport], check-in was normal, but then they called boarding 1.5 hours early. At the gate, they turned everyone away who had a British passport with permission to enter,” British-Israeli citizen Ellen Steel told the newspaper.

“They then took Israelis aside and explained that the chances were that by the time we were back we’d have to go to a corona hotel but it wasn’t 100 per cent yet. When we landed, someone from the Health Ministry announced we’d all have to go to hotels.”

After arriving in Israel,  the passengers were put into quarantine, except a handful who refused and were sent back to the UK.

Israel is entering its third wave of coronavirus and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has reportedly warned his cabinet that a third lockdown may need to be imposed this week.

It came as Saudi Arabia halted all international flights and sealed its borders in response to the mutant strain of the virus discovered in Britain, while Kuwait imposed a similar ban. 

Iran has also suspended flights to and from Britain for the next two week.

10:26 AM

Watch: Chaotic scenes at Heathrow Airport as travellers rush to beat EU travel ban

10:21 AM

Rail and coach travellers set to get full refund for Christmas bookings

Passengers who have cancelled their Christmas travel plans will have their train and coach bookings refunded, the Government has announced.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said customers will not be “left out of pocket” for “doing the right thing” amid the tightening of Covid-19 restrictions across the UK.

It came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson curtailed the Christmas “bubble” policy on Saturday and placed large parts of east and south-east England under new Tier 4 measures.

Cash refunds will be provided for cancelled rail and coach bookings in England for the previous Christmas travel window of December 23 to 27, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

Tickets will only be refunded if they were purchased after the travel window was announced on November 24 and before it was amended on December 19.

Passengers are advised to check their train operator’s website for how to claim.

10:15 AM

French national road haulage federation: UK situation becoming catastrophic

The situation for truck drivers currently stuck in the UK after European countries cut transport ties is becoming catastrophic and “no driver” now wants to travel to Britain, according to a spokeswoman for the French national road haulage federation.

“They are stuck in lorry parks with no toilets – it’s becoming a catastrophe,” Vanessa Ibarlucea, spokeswoman for France’s FNTR national road haulage federation.

“No driver wants to deliver to the UK now, so the UK is going to see its freight supply dry up.”

10:07 AM

India suspends all flights originating from UK until December 31

India has become the latest country to cancel all flights originating from the UK. The ban will last until at least the end of the year, the aviation ministry said in a tweet.

Restrictions will come into effect on Wednesday and all passengers arriving from the UK before then will be tested on arrival at airports.

It comes after the health minister has said that while India’s health authorities remain vigilant and prepared to deal with a new more transmissible strain, there is “no reason” to panic.

10:04 AM

Watch: European countries ban travel from the UK in wake of new Covid-19 strain

09:59 AM

Tier 4 shielding: ‘Most vulnerable strongly advised to stay at home at all times’

The Government told the “clinically extremely vulnerable” to once again start shielding in areas placed under Tier 4 restrictions.

“Those with more general underlying health conditions or people aged 70 or over may still be more vulnerable to Covid-19 than the general population, so are also advised to stay at home as much as possible, to carefully follow the rules and minimise contact with others,” a statement from the Department for Health and Social Care said. 

“Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable but living in Tiers 1 to 3 should follow existing guidance – there is no formal shielding advice currently in place in areas outside Tier 4,” it added.

The Government said letters will be going out to all those affected by the new rules later this week – though their may be delays in these arriving due to high volumes of post over Christmas.

“Anyone in Tier 4 areas who received the shielding letter in November and whose condition hasn’t changed should follow the advice immediately until they receive the letter. We will also be issuing letters by email for those who have registered an email address with their GP practice,” the statement said.

You can read the full guidance here. 

09:52 AM

Sainsbury’s: May be shortages of lettuce, cauliflowers, broccoli and citrus

Sainsbury’s has warned it faces fruit and vegetable shortages if the travel ban between the UK and EU persists and it cannot import fresh produce from the bloc.

“We are also sourcing everything we can from the UK and looking into alternative transport for product sourced from Europe,” a spokesperson told the BBC.

“If nothing changes, we will start to see gaps over the coming days on lettuce, some salad leaves, cauliflowers, broccoli and citrus fruit – all of which are imported from the continent at this time of year.”

The supermarket giant called on UK and French governments to come to “a mutually agreeable solution that prioritises the immediate passage of produce and any other food at the ports”.

But they insisted that food for a traditional Christmas dinner is already inside Britain, so will be available for celebrations this week. 

09:49 AM

Unions call for Government to support businesses affected by travel bans

Unions are calling for urgent support from the Government for workers caught up in the escalating travel crisis as country. 

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said decisive action was needed to protect thousands of jobs caught in the crossfire of the closures to UK traffic across Europe.

“Thousands of workers on Eurostar, on the ferries and at our ports have been caught in the crossfire of the border crisis that has developed overnight and escalated this morning,” General secretary Mick Cash said. 

“RMT is calling for an urgent package of Government support and protection for the staff and services impacted by the decision to suspend operations.

“We will be looking for emergency tripartite talks with the employers and Government to ensure that the practical and financial underpinning required is made available without delay.”

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association added that said Eurostar needed urgent financial assistance.

“Our union has been warning for months that Eurostar is in a fight for its survival and the latest developments only confirm our worst fears,” General secretary Manuel Cortes said.

“The Government is guilty of twiddling its thumbs and doing little else to help this vital green strategic link with the continent.”

09:42 AM

‘The English Virus’

A naming battle has started. Officially the new variant of Sars-Cov-2 spreading in south-east England is called VUI-202012/01 – not the most catchy, perhaps. 

So maybe its unsurprising that one of Italy’s leading daily newspapers is describing the mutation, which has now been detected in Italy, as “The English Virus” instead:

Read more: Italy detects patient with new Covid strain as EU fears mutation will explode across Channel

09:40 AM

Could travel bans backfire for transparency?

An interesting point here from Science Magazine journalist, Kai Kupferschmidt.

While the pandemic may have demonstrated the need to rethink travel restrictions – the World Health Organization have always been very cautious to suggest they are an option – could bans encourage governments not to share critical information about disease outbreaks or new virus variants?

This has always been the concern of the International Health Regulations, a set of rules about how country’s should respond to outbreaks. Part of this, though, is that these regulations – plus the WHO – has no ability to enforce the rules, meaning they are reliant on honesty and transparency from governments.

Whether advice around travel bans is changed in the future in light of the Covid pandemic is certainly a topic worth watching. 

09:30 AM

Canada: UK flights barred for 72 hours

In North America, the Canadian Prime Minister said late last night that the country will ban all UK flights for 72 hours due to the new Sars-Cov-2 variant thought to be spreading widely in south-east England.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet that those who had already arrived from Britain on Sunday would be subject to secondary screenings and other “advanced measures”.

 The Telegraph is continuing to track which nations across the globe have introduced travel restrictions.

At the moment that list includes: Norway, Denmark, France, the Czech Republic, Germany, Chile, Argentina, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Estonia, Latvia, Croatia, Lithuania, Hong Kong, Poland, Ireland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Austria, Colombia and Israel. 

And according to German newspaper Bild, an EU-wide ban on flights could be imposed between tonight and January 6.

09:25 AM

‘Likely’ that new Sars-Cov-2 variant is already in Northern Ireland, Foster warns

The new strain of coronavirus is probably already in Northern Ireland and the Republic, Stormont’s First Minister has warned.

Arlene Foster said this morning that ministers were very concerned about the highly infectious mutation and tests were ongoing.

“It is probable that it is here and likely it is in the Republic too,” she told the BBC.

The Northern Ireland Executive has slashed the five-day holiday relaxation of restrictions, allowing three households to gather, to just Christmas Day.

Flexibility will be afforded to people working on December 25 to enable them to join others on another day over the festive break.

The decision was made by ministers during an emergency virtual Executive meeting late last night.

Ministers also debated imposing a temporary ban on travel from Great Britain to Northern Ireland in response to the new variant of Covid-19 that has taken hold in London and Kent.

No decision was taken but ministers are expected to return to the issue today. 

09:18 AM

Down Under: Sars-Cov-2 variant detected in quarantine facilities

Two cases of the UK’s new Covid-19 variation have been found in quarantine facilities in Sydney, according to health authorities.

New South Wales chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said the cases had been identified in travellers returning from the UK while they were in state-imposed quarantine.

“We’ve had a couple of UK returned travellers with the particular mutations you’re referring to,” she said. But Dr Chant added that she wanted to be “very clear” that an outbreak of Covid-19 in Sydney is not linked to the mutation. 

Yesterday Australia’s most populous city became further isolated from the rest of the country  after states closed borders and imposed quarantine measures on its residents due to the coronavirus cluster in northern beach suburbs. 83 cases have so far been detected, and more than 38,000 people have been tested. 

But New South Wales reported its lowest one-day rise in new cases in three days this morning, stoking cautious optimism that authorities have contained an outbreak. 

The government said it provide an update by Wednesday on “what Christmas and the next few days look like”.

09:12 AM

Shapps says 80 per cent of freight will continue as normal

Despite France banning travel from and into the UK, transport secretary Grant Shapps has said 80pc of freight moving to and from the EU will continue as it is unaccompanied. 

However, manned lorry crossings will not be permitted.

Earlier today industry leaders told the BBC that there is  “no need” to panic-buy as a result of France’s ban on freight lorries from the UK – although a resolution is needed to prevent long term disruption (see 8:44am)

09:05 AM

Spain mulls UK travel ban and insists vaccine remains effective

Spain’s health minister, Salvador Illa, has spoken about the new Sars-Cov-2 variant in a radio interview, James Badcock reports.

He said it had not yet been detected in Spain and assured the public that “the vaccine is also effective against the new strain detected in the UK”.

In terms of banning travel from the UK, he said Spain was still considering how to react, adding that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez remains determined to promote a pan-EU response.

09:03 AM

Russia reports record daily rise in cases

Away from the mutant strain of Sars-Cov-2 causing chaos across Britain and Europe, Russia has reported almost 30,000 new Covid-19 infections – the the country’s biggest daily surge to date.

Authorities have announced 29,350 new cases in the last 24 hours, including 7,797 in Moscow, pushing the total number of cases to 2.8 million – the fourth largest case count in the world. 493 deaths were also confirmed, pushing the official death toll to 51,351:

Russia has been swept by a resurgence of the virus in the last few months, with numbers of cases and deaths significantly exceeding those reported in the spring. But authorities have rejected the idea of another nationwide lockdown or widespread closure of businesses.

Earlier this month, mass vaccinations started in Russia with Sputnik V – a domestically developed coronavirus vaccine that is still undergoing late stage trials among tens of thousands of people needed to ensure its safety and effectiveness.

08:52 AM

Norway bans flights from Britain

Flights from Britain to Norway will be suspended with immediate effect for a minimum of 48 hours due to concerns over a new strain of coronavirus, the Norwegian health minister has said. 

In the last 24 hours, more than 30 countries have announced travel bans. Among those are Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands, plus countries farther afield including Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Our travel blog has the details on the restrictions imposed by each nation so far. 

08:51 AM

India: ‘There is no reason for such panic’, minister says

While much of Europe has acted swiftly to introduce travel restrictions after the increasingly rapid spread of a new Sars-Cov-2 variant was identified, India appears to be taking a rather more laissez-fair attitude. 

The country’s health minister has said that while India’s health authorities remain vigilant and prepared to deal with a new more transmissible strain, there is “no reason” to panic.

India has recorded the world’s second highest number of infections and breached the 10 million case milestone over the weekend. More than 145,000 people have died from Covid-19.

“If you ask me, there is no reason for such panic,” India’s Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said at a press briefing in New Delhi.

A government committee tasked with monitoring the pandemic met today to discuss the new strain, an official said. But it was unclear whether India would halt flights to Britain, one of 23 countries that it shares an “air bubble” with.

“Don’t entangle yourself in this imaginary situation, imaginary talk, imaginary panic,” Vardhan said. “The government is completely vigilant.” 

08:44 AM

‘No need’ to stockpile, industry leaders insist

There is currently “no need” to panic-buy as a result of France’s ban on freight lorries from the UK, industry leaders have insisted this morning. 

Alex Veitch, general manager of trade group Logistics UK, told the BBC that the Government needs to work with EU partners to come up with a pragmatic solution to give the French and other authorities confidence that drivers are Covid-free.

But he added that the ban is only affecting outbound freight with drivers in a truck, and that inbound goods are still moving.

“This is why we are saying at the current time, please, there is no need to panic-buy, there are goods available in the shops, retailers are doing everything they can,” he said. “But at the same time it is serious and we do need a resolution as quickly as possible.”

However Ian Wright, the chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, added that there is “concern” around food supplies in the longer term, particularly after Christmas. 

“The problem is the return journey of drivers coming to the UK,” he said. “Over time, because the transport system requires these round trips, that will reduce the ability of us to bring food into the country after Christmas if that takes effect.”

08:39 AM

France: Possible new Sars-Cov-2 variant is already circulating, says minister

The French health minister, Olivier Veran, has said this morning that it is possible that a new strain of the Covid-19 virus was already circulating in France, although recent tests had not detected it in the country.

“It is entirely possible that the virus is circulating in France,” Veran told Europe 1 radio.

The new UK variant of Sars-Cov-2 appears to be 70 per cent more transmissible, forcing new lockdown measures in much of the UK, while counties in Europe and further afield have banned travel from Britain. 

Related: New strain “moves fast” and is becoming the dominant variant

08:16 AM

Brexit and Covid fears wipe £33bn off FTSE

More than £33billion has been wiped off the FTSE 100 within minutes of opening, dropping more than 2 per cent  over fears of a no-deal Brexit and new coronavirus restrictions.

Follow the latest markets news over on our business liveblog: FTSE and pound plunge on no-deal fears and UK travel ban 

08:14 AM

Shapps: Public unlikely to see supermarket shortages

The public will not notice any disruption in terms of supermarket shortages “for the most part” as a result of France’s freight lorry ban, Grant Shapps said.

The Transport Secretary said hauliers were “quite used to anticipating disruption”, adding there were variations in supply “all the time”.

He told Sky News: “The absolute key is to get this resolved as soon as possible. I’ll be speaking again to my opposite number Jean-Baptiste (Djebbari) later this morning.

“There’s a meeting taking place actually right now in Europe about it, in order to co-ordinate approaches.

“It’s not really in anybody’s particular interest to not have hauliers going across, not least because they are mostly European hauliers and the goods are mostly theirs, so they will not want them perishing any more than we would want the border closed.”

Asked if consumers will see shortages in supermarkets, Mr Shapps added: “The supply chain is pretty robust in as much as you get variations in supply all the time. For the most part, people won’t notice it.”

08:07 AM

Shapps: France’s freight ban was ‘surprising’

France’s ban on freight hauliers from the UK was “slightly surprising”, the Transport Secretary has said.

Grant Shapps told Sky News that while the disruption was not a “specific problem” in the short term, the key was to “get it resolved”.

He said: “Immediately as soon as the French said, perhaps slightly surprisingly that they would stop hauliers, rather than just passengers, we were in touch with a group known as the Kent Resilience Forum. They are well used to planning for exactly these kind of circumstances.

“We will be opening up Manston as a lorry park today and providing welfare for some of those drivers as well, while also being in very close contact with the French over what will happen next.

“The Kent Dover-to-Calais Eurotunnel, what we call the short straits, is probably about 20 per cent of goods going to and from, in and out of the country.

“But it’s not the mainstay. Most goods actually come in and out by unaccompanied containers and those will continue to flow.”

Asked about what the shortages could be, Mr Shapps said: “Obviously we don’t want these links to be closed for too long, but it’s not unusual for them to be closed and disrupted.

“In the short term it’s not a specific problem. But of course the key is to get it resolved.”

07:54 AM

Denmark and Hong Kong join travel ban

Flights from Britain to Denmark will be suspended for 48 hours from 9am this morning to limit the spread of the new strain of coronavirus, the country’s transport minister said on Twitter. 
Meanwhile, Hong Kong authorities said they would ban all flights too. “From midnight there will be no more passenger flights arriving in Hong Kong from the United Kingdom,” health secretary Sophia Chan told reporters.

Indian health officials are expected to meet today and make an announcement on whether they will suspend flights to and from the UK.

07:46 AM

Grant Shapps: Freight ban won’t affect vaccine

The coronavirus vaccination programme will not be affected by France’s ban on freight from the UK, the Transport Secretary has said.

Grant Shapps told Sky News this morning: “Most vaccine doesn’t come via what is called ‘Ro-Ro’, roll-on, roll-off, which is what we are talking about here. In other words, it’s not usually accompanied by a driver, by a haulier. It comes on those containers.

“To put this into context, there are about 6,000 vehicles we would expect, just under in Dover today, probably 4,000 would have gone across from Dover, just under about 2,000 on the Eurotunnel.

“But there is probably something like 32,000 units that would have been the daily total, so the vast majority – including virtually all the vaccine – actually comes via container and there are good supplies in the meantime.

“So this won’t have an impact on the vaccination programme.”

07:24 AM

Tier 4 ‘may not be enough to contain Covid mutations’

Cases of the new mutation of Covid grew “exponentially” during the November lockdown, minutes from the Government’s Nervtag committee reveal, in papers which suggest Tier 4 measures may not be able to stop its march.

Records of their meeting last Friday detail the scientific findings which led the Prime Minister to order sweeping restrictions.

As well as suggesting that the new variant is 71 per cent more transmissible than the previous strain, the analysis suggests that the infectiousness could push up the R by as much as 0.93.

Read the full story here.

07:23 AM

Outbreak in Thai seafood centre

Thailand confirmed 382 new coronavirus infections on Monday, with the majority of cases linked to a seafood centre outbreak in a province near the capital, the health ministry said.

The new cases include 360 migrant workers in the southwestern province of Samut Sakhon, where Thailand’s worst outbreak yet appeared at the weekend.

There were also 14 other cases in six provinces, all but one of which are located close to the capital Bangkok.

There were also eight imported cases.

07:23 AM

Refunds for cancelled Christmas journeys

The Government has pledged to provide refunds for rail and coach tickets bought for the previous Christmas travel window between Dec 23-27.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said this would apply to journeys in England booked on or after Nov  24, when the Christmas travel window was announced.

Mr Shapps said: “This ensures no one is left out of pocket for doing the right thing – staying home in Tier 4, and elsewhere staying local and only meeting your Christmas bubble on Christmas Day.”

It comes after Boris Johnson announced a dramatic scaling back of the Government’s relaxation of restrictions over Christmas, which is now limited to just Dec 25 for people in Tiers 1-3 in England, rather than the initial five days.

07:03 AM

Asian countries mutant strain in UK

Battling their own surges in coronavirus cases, Asian nations including Japan and South Korea said they were closely monitoring a new super virulent strain of the virus identified in Britain, but none immediately cancelled UK flights.

No Asian country has reported the new strain.

RELATED: Britain faces EU-wide travel ban to curb spread of Covid mutation

South Korea, which imposes a 14-day quarantine for everyone entering the country, said on Monday it was reviewing new measures for flights from the UK, and would test twice those coming in from Britain before they were released from quarantine.

New cases climbed to over 1,000 a day in South Korea several times last week. It reported on Sunday an outbreak in a Seoul prison where 188 inmates and staff were infected.

The country, which has said it is running short of hospital beds, said on Monday Seoul will ban gatherings of more than four people later this week and double hospital beds for critical Covid cases by year end.

Taiwan, which also has a 14-day quarantine, said on Sunday there were no plans to stop flights from Britain.

An Indian government committee tasked with monitoring the pandemic, will meet on Monday to discuss the new strain, local media reported, but there was no clarity on whether flights to the UK would be halted.

The UK is one of 23 countries that India shares an “air bubble” with.

India, which has the second-highest number of cases after the United States, does not currently mandate institutional quarantine for international travellers if they have a negative test result 72 hours before entering India.

Japan, where entry from Britain is already banned in principle, said it would keep in close touch with other countries as well as the World Health Organisation to see how the new type of virus was spreading.

05:59 AM

New South Wales strives to contain outbreak

Australia’s most populous state has reported its lowest one-day rise in new Covid-19 cases in three days, stoking cautious optimism that authorities have contained an outbreak in Sydney’s northern beachside suburbs.

New South Wales (NSW) said 15 people had tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, down on the 36 infections detected a day earlier and bringing the total cases in the northern beaches outbreak to 83.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was too early to say a larger outbreak had been averted as northeastern suburbs entered the third day of a five-day lockdown in the leadup to Christmas.

“I’m pleased with what we’ve seen overnight, but again, it’s volatile,” Ms Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

The government would provide an update by Wednesday on “what Christmas and the next few days look like” in terms of further containment measures beyond those already imposed on the northeastern suburbs, she added.

More than 80 locations including cafes, gyms, casinos and supermarkets across Sydney were identified as having been visited by people with confirmed cases. Authorities urged anyone who attended the venues to immediately get tested and self-isolate.

NSW on Friday ordered more than a 250,000 people in Sydney’s northern beaches area into a lockdown after the cluster of cases emerged, centred on two dining and entertainment venues in the seaside suburb of Avalon.

Those restrictions are set to be reviewed on Wednesday, though other states and territories moved quickly to close borders to all of Sydney’s 5 million residents, throwing Christmas travel plans into disarray.

Dozens of domestic flights due to leave Sydney were cancelled on Monday.

04:55 AM

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