More than 30 countries have shut down travel to and from the UK in hopes of preventing the spread of a more contagious strain of coronavirus. The UK has implemented internal movement controls with the same aim, with London and surrounding countyside in full lockdown and Scotland allowing no-one in from the south.
Coronavirus cases in the UK rose by 35,928 on Sunday – nearly double the number recorded seven days previously. And it was announced that a further 326 people died within 28 days of testing positive, bringing the nation's total to 67,401. … Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that the new variant of the virus – which may be up to 70% more transmissible – is "getting out of control".
There is no evidence that the new strain is more deadly or that it is vaccine-resistant, but it increases the number of people each infected person goes on to infect.
