UK Extends England Entry Ban to Travelers From 11 African Countries for COVID Variant

Passengers sit beneath a testing centre sign in the terminal building of Manchester Airport amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Manchester, Britain, Dec. 3, 2020. (Phil Noble/Reuters File Photo)

The United Kingdom said on Thursday it would extend a ban on travelers entering England to southern African countries in a measure to prevent the spread of a new COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa.

The restriction will go into effect on Saturday and remain in place for two weeks, the government said in a statement.

Entry will be barred for those who have travelled from or through any southern African country in the last 10 days, including Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Angola, as well as Seychelles and Mauritius.

By Anirudh Saligrama