[Well, here in SA I have only come across 1, and possibly 2 people who have had COVID. This is much ado about nothing but it is amazing that the dumb British are imposing travel restrictions on South Africa! Hey, it just helps to sink South Africa more! It's all a storm in a teacup. Yawn. Jan]

The United Kingdom (UK) has insisted that anybody who has re-entered the country having been in South Africa in the past two weeks must immediately quarantine along with any close contacts who have been in the country.

The announcement made by UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Wednesday 23 December follows the emergence of a mutated variant of COVID-19 in South Africa similar to the variant currently wreaking havoc on large parts of the UK. As a result of concern over the rapidly spreading variant of coronavirus – which has forced the UK to once again implement hard lockdowns in many parts of the country – they have also instituted immediate restrictions on travel from South Africa.

UK Health Secretary: Isolation required for recent visitors to SA

Hancock said that the variant found to be spreading at an alarming rate in South Africa – dubbed ‘SARS-CoV-2’ – is of major concern to health experts, adding that evidence suggests that it is more contagious than previous mutations.

“This new variant is highly concerning, because it is yet more transmissible, and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the UK,” he said.

He said that anyone who had been in close contact with someone who visited South Africa in the past two weeks “must restrict all contact with any other person whatsoever,” he said.

He did not outline exactly what travel restrictions would be imposed though.

South Africa’s health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, announced last week that South African health authorities are reporting increasing COVID-19 cases stemming from the new variant, and that is most likely responsible for the surge of infections reported over the past month

“This virus is yet more transmissible and appears to have mutated further than the new virus.”

Hancock said that the South African government had been working closely with counterparts in the UK, and said he was grateful for the “open and transparent” line of communication between the nations amidst surging infection reports.

“We are incredibly grateful to the South African government for the rigour of their science and the openness and the transparency with which they have rightly acted as we did when we discovered a new variant here,” he said.

UK and SA COVID-19 variants ‘similar’

The two recently identified variants – one found first in the UK and the South African variant – share some similarities but have “evolved separately”.

According to UK health experts both have a mutation – called N501Y – which functions as a crucial facility to the virus’ contagion mechanisms.

This is a developing story.

Source: https://pressnewsagency.org/uk-impose-travel-bans-mandatory-quarantine-on-visitors-to-south-africa/