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In early September, a new coronavirus strain has been detected in the UK. It’s known to spread much more easily and has the ability to displace the previous variants of the virus. It’s believed that in less than a month from being detected, an estimated 25% of London cases consisted of this new variant. Another month went by and the number rose to around 60%.
While we are still unsure whether it’s more harmful than the original version of the virus, it’s believed that the new strain could be up to 70% more transmissible.
Naturally, the British authorities decided to increase restrictions in London as well as south-east parts of England as a result of the rapid spread of the new strain in these areas.
As the UK’s closest geographical neighbour, France was the first EU country to prohibit any freight service from the UK.
But that’s not all.
Very soon, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Bulgaria, and Lithuania also announced restrictions on UK travel, including transport, following the disclosure that the highly infectious new strain is widespread across south-east England, which includes Folkestone — the city one has to get through to reach the Eurotunnel.
