UK extends England entry ban to travelers from 11 African countries for COVID-19 variant

Anirudh Saligrama/Reuters

Updated: Jan 7, 2021 / 05:10 PM CST

People at St Pancras station in London, wait to board the last train to Paris today, Sunday Dec. 20, 2020. Millions of people in England have learned they must cancel their Christmas get-togethers and holiday shopping trips. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday that holiday gatherings can’t go ahead and non-essential shops must close in London and much of southern England. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)

(Reuters) — 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.

Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengalurul Editing by Cynthia Osterman

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