EU urges member states to lift UK travel ban

Britain and France Reopened their border for some passengers On Tuesday and an agreement was reached between the two countries to allow freight trucks to return, hoping for relief for hundreds of drivers stranded near British ports and warning supermarkets that fruits and vegetables could be operational soon.

On Sunday, France closed its borders for 48 hours amid fears that a new and contagious variant of the corona virus could spread in the UK. More than 1,500 lorries were stranded in the southeast as Dover Harbor and Euro Tunnel were closed to outbound traffic. Some drivers slept two nights in their trucks.

France announced on Tuesday night that select groups of people would be allowed to travel from Britain to France if they could produce evidence for the latest negative corona virus test, as talks continue to break the deadlock.

Those now allowed to travel include French and EU citizens, non-permanent residents of France and other persons deemed necessary to travel. They include diplomats, health workers and drivers and staff of aircraft, trains and buses assisting France in the fight against Covit-19.

Dozens of countries have rushed to close their borders with Britain in recent days as the newly discovered corona virus variant spreads there. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said over the weekend that it had been shown to be more contagious than other types. British officials said there was no reason to believe the new variant had caused a more serious disease, and most experts suspect it would make the current vaccine ineffective.

Following France’s easing of travel restrictions, the EU’s executive committee called on member states to lift the blanket ban on air and rail travel. Recommends testing or isolation instead.

“Air and rail restrictions must be lifted as needed to ensure essential travel and avoid supply chain disruptions,” the European Commission said. Said in a statement.

A few hours ago, Dr. Ukhur Sahin, co – founder of Bioentech, which developed the first vaccine approved in the West in collaboration with Pfizer, said it would take two weeks to conduct laboratory studies, which could affect the effectiveness of the vaccine, which provides a complete understanding of how mutations occur.

“We hope there is no reason to worry until we get the data,” he said.

If an embraced vaccine is needed, it could be ready within six weeks, Dr Sahin told a news conference on Tuesday. But this will require additional approval from regulators, which could increase the waiting time, he said.

The new variant, discovered several months ago, has spread across the southeastern UK and has been identified in small numbers in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia, according to World Health Organization officials.

The WHO sought to raise awareness of the new variant and the dangers it poses. “There is zero evidence at this point that there is any increase in the severity associated with this disease,” WHO Emergency Director Mike Ryan told a virtual news conference.

The United States has not imposed a travel ban on Britain. There are no confirmed cases of variability in the United States, but that does not mean it has not already reached the US shores.

The urgency of trying to defeat the pathogen by closing the borders brought back memories of the world’s reaction after the corona virus first became widespread in the spring. Most of those early travel barriers came late, after the virus had already sown itself in remote communities.

Some experts threaten that this tactic will cause more economic and emotional hardship The catastrophe caused by the virus continues to grow. Since it is not known how widely the variation is in circulation, restrictions should not exacerbate it.

Dr. Peter Kremsner, director of the University Hospital in Tங்கbingen, Germany, made a blunt assessment of “this nonsense.” “If only the mutant had been on the island, it would have made sense to close the borders of England, Scotland and Wales. But if it spreads, it will have to fight new mutants everywhere. ”