Photos: Countries enforce UK travel restrictions over coronavirus strain

India on December 21 joined a growing number of countries around the world in suspending travel to the United Kingdom in the wake of the emergence of a mutated variant of the coronavirus there. A handful of nations have already closed off their borders entirely. The World Health Organization (WHO) tweeted late on December 19 that it was “in close contact with UK officials on the new #Covid19 virus variant” and promised to update governments and the public as more is learned.

Updated on: Dec 22, 2020 5:59 PM IST

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Updated on Dec 22, 2020 5:59 PM

Travellers exit Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after India cancelled all flights from the United Kingdom over fears of a new strain of the coronavirus, in Mumbai on December 22. A growing list of countries across the world suspended travel for Britons over the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a mutated variant of the virus had been identified in the country. (Francis Mascarenhas / REUTERS)

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Updated on Dec 22, 2020 5:59 PM

A person gestures towards a sign with a public health information message, as new restrictions come into force, in London on December 20. The discovery of the new strain, just months before vaccines are expected to be widely available, has sowed new panic in a pandemic that has killed about 1.7 million people worldwide. (Toby Melville / REUTERS)

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Updated on Dec 22, 2020 5:59 PM

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (C), chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance (L), and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps during a media briefing in London on December 21. “I will say that the evidence on this virus is it spreads easily, it’s more transmissible, we absolutely need to make sure we’ve got the right level of restrictions in place,” Vallance told a news conference, adding that tighter restrictions on public life were likely. (Tolga Akmen / Pool via AP)

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Updated on Dec 22, 2020 5:59 PM

Travellers walk with their luggage at King's Cross station, as European Union (EU) countries impose a travel ban from the UK, in London on December 21. European officials met via video link to coordinate their response to the new strain on December 21. The EU is on course to start vaccinations within a week based on a shot from Pfizer and BioNTech. (Hannah McKay / REUTERS)

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Updated on Dec 22, 2020 5:59 PM

Police cars patrol as freight lorries are backed up for miles on the highway leading to the port of Dover in England on December 22. The critical south coast port at Dover said on December 20 it was closing one of the most important trade arteries with mainland Europe to all freight and passengers traffic due to the French border restrictions "until further notice". (Justin Tallis / AFP)

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Updated on Dec 22, 2020 5:59 PM

Shoppers queue outside an Asda supermarket in London on December 21. The UK is confronted with threats of food insecurity and panicked shopping days before Christmas as European nations restricted trade and travel to guard against a resurgent coronavirus, offering Britain a preview of the border chaos to come in the absence of a Brexit deal. (Betty Laura Zapata / Bloomberg)

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Updated on Dec 22, 2020 5:59 PM

A ferry from Newcastle arrives in IJmuiden on December 21 as Dutch government banned all passenger from the UK. Reuters reported that there is no evidence that vaccines would not protect against this variant but experts are working around the clock to determine whether the mutations would affect how well the shots guarded against infection. (Sam van der Wal / ANP / AFP)

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Updated on Dec 22, 2020 5:59 PM

People waiting for inbound travellers to arrive at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on December 22. India has joined the growing list of countries that have sealed off access to people who have been to the UK, suspending all flights to and from the country between December 23 and December 31 in order to stop the arrival of the new strain. (Francis Mascarenhas / REUTERS)

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Updated on Dec 22, 2020 5:59 PM

A traveller is screened for Covid-19 at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar on December 22. All passengers who arrive from the UK on December 21 and 22 will be asked to take an RT-PCR test at the airport, with only those testing negative allowed to go home and isolate for seven days. Anyone testing positive will be institutionally quarantine or taken to a medical facility, the Indian government announced. (Narinder Nanu / AFP)