Suddenly, the same scientists who have insisted that mutations related to COVID-19 didn't pose a serious threat are pleading with Londoners (who now face a daunting Level 4 lockdown where life and commerce has effectively ground to a halt) to watch their every step, while some scientists in the US have urged health authorities to cut off all air travel to the UK.
France has led the charge of EU countries cutting off travel to Britain.
French transportation officials imposed a 48-hour suspension of freight transit across the English Channel, leaving thousands of truck drivers stranded in their vehicles on Monday as the roads leading to England’s ports were turned into veritable parking lots.
The situation is bad news for Heathrow, which had only just recorded its busiest week of travel yet since the lockdowns began.
Cops in London, meanwhile, are increasing patrols and looking for any groups violating the new restrictions.
Eurostar, which operates passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel, will scrap services from London to Brussels Monday. Even before the new curbs, Eurostar had been operating a minimal service of one train a day in each direction on most routes to allow for emergency travel. Anyone leaving London faced quarantining on their return as well as possible restrictions at their destination.
Look ahead, what exactly could this mutation mean for our assumptions about the vaccine rollout. Well, according to several scientists in the NYT, we can't say for certain. But the risks are certainly much bigger than we understood only weeks ago.
Until now, every mention of mutations and the possible impact on the vaccines' efficacy was met with dozens of scientists waving away the situation as highly implausible. But now, things have changed: And people are scared.
France has led the charge of EU countries cutting off travel to Britain.
French transportation officials imposed a 48-hour suspension of freight transit across the English Channel, leaving thousands of truck drivers stranded in their vehicles on Monday as the roads leading to England’s ports were turned into veritable parking lots.
The situation is bad news for Heathrow, which had only just recorded its busiest week of travel yet since the lockdowns began.
Cops in London, meanwhile, are increasing patrols and looking for any groups violating the new restrictions.
Eurostar, which operates passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel, will scrap services from London to Brussels Monday. Even before the new curbs, Eurostar had been operating a minimal service of one train a day in each direction on most routes to allow for emergency travel. Anyone leaving London faced quarantining on their return as well as possible restrictions at their destination.
Look ahead, what exactly could this mutation mean for our assumptions about the vaccine rollout. Well, according to several scientists in the NYT, we can't say for certain. But the risks are certainly much bigger than we understood only weeks ago.
Until now, every mention of mutations and the possible impact on the vaccines' efficacy was met with dozens of scientists waving away the situation as highly implausible. But now, things have changed: And people are scared.
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