UK extends travel restrictions over micron concerns – international

The UK government tightened travel restrictions this Saturday, saying that all passengers traveling to England will need to take a COVID-19 test before boarding their flights. Health Minister Sajid Javid said the new rules will come into effect on Tuesday at 4:00 am (local time). “In light of the latest data, we are taking further steps to reduce the incursion of the micron variant,” the minister said in a tweet on Twitter.

Javid also added the UK’s red list of travel to Nigeria, which means that passengers arriving from the country, except those residing in the UK or Ireland, will be banned and will need to self-isolate in designated quarantine places. He stated that there had been a “significant number” of micron cases linked to travel to Nigeria, with 27 cases found in England.

Also in the UK, the anti-police Labor Party has complained about Christmas parties organized by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s staff last year, in contravention of isolation rules.

United States of America

In the US, New York state announced three new cases of the Micron variant on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases in the state linked to the new variant to eight. “The micron alternative is here and as expected we are seeing the beginning of community broadcasting,” state health commissioner Mary Bassett said in a statement. Source: Dow Jones Newswires.