UK travel ban: These countries impose new restrictions

Editor’s Note — This list was current as of 9.30 a.m. ET on December 22.

(CNN) — Countries around the world are imposing bans and restrictions on travel from the United Kingdom to stem the transmission of a coronavirus variant that health authorities say can spread faster than others.

The new variant discovered in the UK prompted authorities to impose a Tier 4 lockdown in London and southeast England and tighten restrictions for all of England over the festive period.

Since the UK lockdown was announced on Saturday, over 40 countries in Europe, Asia, South America, the Caribbean and the Middle East have restricted travel from the UK and in some cases, also travel from other countries that have documented cases with the variant.

The variant has also been detected in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia, according to the World Health Organization. In South Africa, a different coronavirus variant has been reported, the WHO’s technical lead for Covid-19, Maria van Kerkhove, said Monday.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is working to support British nationals affected by the travel disruptions caused by the new restrictions, which have cut off UK travelers from much of Europe and other parts of the world.

The United States had not issued a ban on travel from the UK as of Thursday morning. However, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday that UK travelers arriving in the city will be required to quarantine or face a daily $1,000 fine.

The move comes days after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called for either a ban on travel from the UK or mandatory testing of passengers, while airlines Delta, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic agreed to a testing mandate for passengers boarding flights between the UK and New York City.

Travelers wearing a face mask or covering stand at check-in desks at Terminal 2 of Heathrow Airport in London on December 21 as a string of countries around the world banned travellers arriving from the UK.

Niklas Halle’n/AFP via Getty Images

US Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir told CNN that as of Monday morning, there weren’t plans for US restrictions on travel to or from the UK because of the new coronavirus variant, but “everything is possible, we just need to put everything on the table, have an open scientific discussion and make a best recommendation.”

“CDC is following the situation closely and actively assessing the implications of the new variant and response options with respect to international travel,” according to a statement from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COUNTRIES BANNING TRAVEL

Argentina

According to a joint statement published Sunday by the Argentinian Health and Interior Ministries, Argentina was to allow only one more flight from Britain to land at the international airport in Buenos Aires on Monday morning. Later flights have been canceled.　