At present, the mutant novel coronavirus is spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom.
According to the statistics of the British Department of Health and Social Security, as of the 22nd local time, 36,804 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the United Kingdom in the past 24 hours, and the number of new confirmed cases in a single day has reached a new high since the outbreak of the epidemic, with a total of 2,110,314 confirmed cases; new The number of deaths increased by 691, bringing the cumulative number of deaths to 68,307.
Many countries suspend transportation with the United Kingdom, and British supermarkets are buying again.
Due to the recent more infectious coronavirus variant in the UK, dozens of countries and regions have now banned people from entering the UK.
Among them, France’s ban involves the transportation of goods, which has caused chaos in British ports and a large number of trucks blocking roads. According to data, 62% of fresh food in British supermarkets comes from continental Europe.
Britain’s two largest supermarket chains worry that if the fresh food transportation chain between the UK and the continent is not smooth for a long time, it will cause an insufficient supply of vegetables and fruits in the UK.
On the evening of the 21st, the reporter saw in a large supermarket chain in central London that the usual sufficient supply of vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli, as well as meat and eggs, had been sold out, and many shelves in the supermarket were empty.
Charlotte, a local resident of London: Of course, we are worried that it is more contagious than the previous virus, so we should take measures as much as possible.
I think people will panic, panic buying, and “Brexit” will further aggravate people’s panic buying.
According to Reuters, Tesco and Sainsbury, the two largest supermarket chains in the UK, said that if the transportation disruption continued, Britain’s food supply would be affected.
The British Retail Association also said that the supply of stores may be in trouble soon.
Since the British government called for preparations for the upcoming no-deal Brexit in the middle of this month, British merchants and people have begun large-scale stockpiling operations.
Recently, as the United Kingdom reported a mutant of the novel coronavirus, many countries around the world announced that people from leaving the United Kingdom were banned from entering the country, which once again exacerbated the panic of the British people.
stranded truck driver: Why do we get into this situation?
After France announced the suspension of travel by people from the United Kingdom, many trucks were forced to stay in Dover. Dover Harbour is the nearest British port to the continent and is the main gateway for Britain to the continent.
The stranded truck drivers said they now just want to go home as soon as possible and spend the upcoming traditional festival with their families.
Many drivers have been sleeping in the car for several days.
They expressed dissatisfaction with the port side, saying that the port has not provided them with any food or sanitation facilities and no solution these days.
Sergio Robles, a truck driver stranded in Dover: I have been away from home for seven days and have worked hard to go home for traditional festivals. Now there are no festivals and nothing.
We have been here for three days, the port does not solve the problem, does not give us food, drinks, sanitation, give us anything, it is inhumane, we need a solution.
Dan Kinka, a truck driver stranded in Dover: We have to walk more than 3,000 kilometers home from here. It takes about 45 hours to drive non-stop. We can’t do this without driving and sleeping. We are all sad and don’t know why we are in this situation.
The European Commission recommends that member states suspend the travel ban on the United Kingdom.
In the face of the travel ban imposed by EU member states against the United Kingdom, the European Commission recommended on the 22nd that in order to avoid freight disruptions and ensure the basic and necessary passage of residents, EU member states should suspend the travel ban currently under implementation for the United Kingdom.
The European Commission said, “Despite the need for prompt temporary precautions to limit the further spread of the mutant virus and block all non-essential travel to and from the UK.
But in order to facilitate the basic passage and transit of passengers and avoid disruption of the cargo supply chain, member states should stop the ban on flights and trains.” The European Commission also pointed out that travel should be allowed if EU residents have a negative test for COVID-19 or are quarantined for 10 days after entering the country.
It is understood that the above-mentioned recommendation of the European Commission is only a unified proposal at the EU level.
Countries’ border control is not bound by this recommendation, and countries have the right to implement their own border control policies.
France relaxes some travel restrictions on the UK
After the European Commission proposed to suspend the travel ban against the British side on the 22nd, the French government decided that night to allow some people from the British side who have tested negative for COVID-19 to enter France and resume some transportation from the 23rd local time.
The French Prime Minister’s Office announced that citizens of EU countries, British and third-party countries with long-term residence rights to the European Union, and other people who need to travel for a purpose can enter France as long as they have a negative test for COVID-19 within 72 hours.
This entry condition will be enforced until at least January 6 next year.
In addition, the French Minister of Transport also confirmed on social media that British and French aircraft, ships and Eurostar trains will also resume operation from the morning of the 23rd. The entry conditions for the large number of stranded trucks currently from the United Kingdom to France are still being formulated and will be announced later.
CDC: Variant COVID-19 may have spread in the United States
Recently, the emergence of mutant coronavirus in the United Kingdom has attracted widespread attention, and many countries have also responded to it. WHO also said that some countries have had cases of this mutant novel coronavirus.
In the United States, where the epidemic is most severe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on the 22nd that this mutant novel coronavirus is likely to have spread in the United States.
In a statement on the 22nd, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that given the continuous flow of people between the United States and the United Kingdom, and the highly contagious nature of this mutant novel coronavirus, it is likely to be imported into the United States and likely to have spread in the United States.
However, due to the small number of virus sequencing in the United States, the mutant virus has not been discovered for the time being.
Scott Gottlieb, the former director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, also said in an interview with the U.S. Consumer News and Business Channel recently that he believes that the mutant novel coronavirus found in the United Kingdom has actually “spreaded in the United States”.
Scott Gottlieb, former director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: I think this mutant COVID-19 has spread in the United States.
As the novel coronavirus spreads widely around the world, we will see more mutant COVID-19.
Fauci: Not surprised by the emergence of mutant coronavirus in the United States
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also said in an interview with ABC on the 22nd that it would not be surprising if the mutant novel coronavirus appeared in the United States.
He said that when the virus had spread in the UK, it was likely to have also spread in the United States.
WHO: Relevant cases have appeared in many countries
Maria van Kohoff, technical director of the WHO Health Emergency Project, said recently that countries have now carried out virus sequencing to look for cases of mutant novel coronavirus found in the United Kingdom, and such cases have appeared in some countries, including Australia, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark.
