European countries ban travel from U.K. over new coronavirus variant

A plane flies over Heathrow Airport.
(Image credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Several European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands, have imposed bans on flights and ferries from the United Kingdom, after reports that a new, more infectious variant of the coronavirus is spreading in southeast England.

The countries are following different timelines — the Netherlands, for example, is banning passenger flights from the U.K. until Jan. 1, while France is suspending flights, freight transport, and ferries for 48 hours starting Monday. A European Union meeting has been scheduled for Monday morning so the countries can discuss a coordinated response.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.