US to require Covid tests for returning citizens amid spread of new variant from the UK
British passengers travelling to the US must provide a negative coronavirus test, it was announced as Japan confirmed its first cases of the variant which originated in Kent.
The virus has now been detected in Denmark, Australia, Italy, Netherlands and Iceland.
Travelers from the UK to the US were already banned under plans to keep the new variant under control, with the new restrictions hampering US citizens and green-card holders seeking to return to the country.
The rules for US travel, which come into force on Monday, require a negative test within 72 hours of travel, according to a statement from the country’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
"This additional testing requirement will fortify our protection of the American public to improve their health and safety and ensure responsible international travel," it added.
Some airlines had already agreed to require passengers to test negative before departure to New York, including British Airways and Delta.
Meanwhile, yesterday Russian authorities ordered those arriving from the UK to quarantine for two weeks.
It came as Japan confirmed its first five cases of the new, faster-spreading variant of the virus in passengers arriving from the United Kingdom, Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said today.
He said that there should be strong quarantine measures at airports and on those returning to the UK.
The country has banned entry to the country from Britain, with the exception of returning Japanese nationals or those with permits for residence.
Despite avoiding the large infection rates seen by much of Europe, Japan’s daily cases surpassed 3,000 for the first time this month.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said: "The infections aren't coming down and if we keep going like this, we won't be able to avoid further spread of the virus."
Meanwhile Ireland reported that a new case had been found in the country through it's surveillance of the virus.
Ireland’s Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan confirmed the new UK variant has been identified in County, using genome sequencing at the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL).
Dr Cillian de Gascun, director of the NVRL, said the sample tested were from last weekend.
“Further testing in the coming days and weeks will establish the extent to which it is present here. In the meantime, it is vitally important that we each stay at home, avoid social contact and avoid all forms of non-essential travel,” he said.
The new variant which has spread over London and the South of England and is thought to be 70 per cent more transmissible may still be treatable by forthcoming vaccines.
The co-founder of BioNTech, one of the firms behind the vaccine being rolled out worldwide this week, said its drug is “highly likely” to work against the mutated strain, and can be adapted in six weeks.
