By Matthew Roscoe • Published: 03 Feb 2021 • 16:23
CREDIT: Pippa Fowles / No 10 Downing Street via Flickr
Boris Johnson Says it is Not Practical to Completely Close the Borders.
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson said today (February 3) that “it is not practical” to “completely” close the borders despite the entry of foreign Covid variants being detected throughout the country – stating that the country’s current quarantine system is “one of the strictest” in the world.
On Monday, February 1, the UK is said to have detected the South Africa Covid variant in eight areas across England. More specifically, these are 11 cases located in people who have not travelled from South Africa and are not related to other known cases, raising fears that they may have been infected in the United Kingdom.
Questioned in Parliament by the leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, the PM ruled out banning all international travel and arrivals because it would be an impediment to the importation of products such as food and medicine.
Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said government scientists had recommended “a complete pre-emptive closure of borders.”
In response, Mr Johnson said: “Actually, Sage (the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies) did not recommend a complete ban and they say travel bans should not be relied upon to stop the importation of new variants.”
The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to address the nation at 5pm today to share positive news that a new study has shown that just one dose of the home-grown Oxford University-AstraZeneca jab could significantly reduce the transmission rate of coronavirus.
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Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.
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