Category: UK news

More areas of England moved up into tiers 4 and 3; UK has highest recorded daily rise in cases; new variant discovered in travellers from South Africa

• Millions more under tier 4 restrictions in England from Boxing Day
• Trump demands changes to sign $900bn stimulus bill
• Australian officials scramble after Qantas crew member tests positive
• Covid fatalities soar in Mexico as president condemned for inaction

7.44pm GMT

New York has started requiring international visitors to quarantine on Wednesday to safeguard against the new variant of Covid-19 coming from the UK.

As the city’s next group of essential workers, paramedics and first responders, lined up to get the vaccine, Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters that travellers would receive a city order via certified mail.

#BREAKING: Mayor Bill de Blasio announces new “tough rules” for UK travelers: “We’re going to have sheriff’s deputies go to the home or the hotel of every single traveler coming in from the UK.” pic.twitter.com/DDo7RfpkFZ

7.22pm GMT

Peru is set to receive a “significant batch” of vaccines from the Covax alliance during the first quarter in 2021, the interim president, Francisco Sagasti, said on Wednesday.

The Covax global alliance was designed to help secure Covid-19 vaccines to poor and middle-income countries. It hopes to deliver at least 2bn doses by the end of 2021.

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More areas of England moved up into tiers 4 and 3; UK has highest recorded daily rise in cases; new variant discovered in travellers from South Africa

• Millions more under tier 4 restrictions in England from Boxing Day
• Trump demands changes to sign $900bn stimulus bill
• Australian officials scramble after Qantas crew member tests positive
• Covid fatalities soar in Mexico as president condemned for inaction

4.40pm GMT

Israel has detected four cases of the new, highly infectious variant of the coronavirus that emerged in the UK, the Israeli health ministry said.

4.37pm GMT

A summary of the increased restrictions for England:

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New variant already in ‘great majority if not all’ European countries, says Professor Neil Ferguson; UK R number rises to between 1.1 and 1.3

• UK ferry passengers disembark in Calais after France eases travel ban
• More of England could move into tier 4 from Boxing Day, says minister
• Trump demands changes to sign $900bn stimulus bill
• Australian officials scramble after Qantas crew member tests positive
• Covid fatalities soar in Mexico as president condemned for inaction

2.52pm GMT

2.46pm GMT

Africa needs about $9bn to fund enough Covid-19 vaccines to halt the pandemic on the continent, but a bigger problem is accessing that supply amid the global race for doses, an African Export Import Bank official said on Wednesday.

African nations cannot compete with wealthier governments that have secured huge supplies of inoculations, Hippolyte Fofack, Afreximbank chief economist, told Reuters.

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Preliminary data suggest viral loads higher in new variant, says Nervtag professor; UK entrants to France must have negative test

• UK ferry passengers disembark in Calais after France eases travel ban
• More of England could move into tier 4 from Boxing Day, says minister
• Trump demands changes to sign $900bn stimulus bill
• Australian officials scramble after Qantas crew member tests positive
• Covid fatalities soar in Mexico as president condemned for inaction

12.13pm GMT

The Irish Government has said a member of the Cabinet has tested positive for Covid-19.

All other ministers will now restrict their movements pending coronavirus tests and results.

A member of Cabinet has tested positive for Covid-19,” said a Government statement.

“In line with public health advice, all ministers are restricting their movements while awaiting a Covid test and result.”

12.10pm GMT

French President Emmanuel Macron is showing signs of improvement after testing positive for Covid-19 last week, his office said.

Macron, 43, is in quarantine at the presidential retreat of La Lanterne, close to the Palace of Versailles.

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Norwegian health minister says decision whether to further extend ban will be made on 26 December; UK entrants to France must have negative test; Europe had nearly half world’s weekly deaths

• UK ferry passengers disembark in Calais after France eases travel ban
• Trump demands changes to sign $900bn stimulus bill
• See all our coronavirus coverage

9.59am GMT

China’s biggest airline has become the latest company to halt direct flights to and from London after the emergence of a highly infectious new coronavirus strain.

China Southern Airlines will suspend travel from 24 December to 7 January, state radio reported on Wednesday. The airline has been operating a weekly flight between its hub Guangzhou and London.

9.44am GMT

Bulgaria is set to resume flights from the UK from 10am on Wednesday, the government has announced.

The Balkan country is one of more than 40 nations that suspended travel from the UK amid a new coronavirus strain spreading across the country, closing its borders on Sunday.

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