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Covid news live: Latest as UK braces for arrival of omicron variant and six African countries added to red list


Everything we know about new Covid variant so far

The UK is bracing for the arrival of the potentially more dangerous and transmissible new Covid variant, as Europe has recorded its first case.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said the variant, named omicron by the World Health Organisation, was of “huge international concern” and could pose a “substantial public health risk”, but that there was no immediate need for restrictions to be implemented beyond adding certain countries to the travel “red list”.

In a repeat of the events of last winter, the government has responded to the alert about the new variant of concern by putting a flight ban on South Africa – and adding the country, and five neighbours, to the red list.

British and Irish citizens or residents arriving from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe after 4am on Sunday 29 November will be required to book and pay for a UK government-approved hotel quarantine facility for 10 days.

Anyone else who has been in those six countries in the past 10 days will be denied entry to the UK.

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Six African countries added to travel red list

The UK government has responded to an alert about Omicron – a new coronavirus variant of concern – by putting a flight ban on South Africa and adding the country, and five neighbours, to the travel “red list”.

British and Irish citizens or residents arriving from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe after 4am on Sunday 29 November will be required to book and pay for a UK government-approved hotel quarantine facility for 10 days.

Anyone else who has been in those six countries in the past 10 days will be denied entry to the UK.

Our travel correspondent Simon Calder explains the restrictions in more detail here:

Chiara Giordano27 November 2021 08:49

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UK braces for arrival of omicron variant

The UK is bracing for the arrival of the potentially more dangerous and transmissible new Covid variant, as Europe has recorded its first case.

In Whitehall, the Covid-19 taskforce has been scrambling to examine what restrictions could be implemented if the variant displaces delta and takes hold in the UK, while scientific advisers to the government have warned that new measures are needed now.

Our science correspondent Samuel Lovett and economic editor Anna Isaac have more on this story:

UK braces for expected arrival of new Covid variant

Whitehall officials have been placed on a ‘war footing’ and told to start weighing future restrictions to be implemented if the variant eventually takes hold, while leading scientists have called for pre-emptive action

Chiara Giordano27 November 2021 08:46

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Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK is bracing for the arrival of the new Omicron Covid-19 variant first detected in southern Africa.

Stay tuned for rolling updates on the latest news and statistics throughout the day.

Chiara Giordano27 November 2021 08:42



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