The United Kingdom has instituted new travel restrictions on South Africa after two people in the country tested positive for the new COVID-19 variant that is leading the second wave in South Africa.
UK Minister Matt Hancock announced new travel restrictions for South Africa.
While speaking during a media briefing on Wednesday, December 23, Hancock explained that two cases of the new variant, which is dominant in South Africa, have been found in the UK. Both cases were contacts of people who travelled to South Africa in the last two weeks. They have since gone into quarantine, along with their close contacts.
Hancock orders any other travellers from South Africa and their contacts to quarantine immediately.
‘Anyone who has been in South Africa during the last fortnight or anyone who was in close contact with anyone in South Africa must be quarantined immediately. All travellers from South Africa in the past two weeks must isolate immediately due to the new variant which has been identified,’ Hancock said.
The UK is also placing immediate restrictions on travel from South Africa.
Hancock called the new COVID-19 variant “highly concerning”. He added that it was “more transmissible and appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the UK”, according to the BBC.
Picture: screenshot from livestream
