BRITAIN IN ISOLATION
» Flights grounded and lorry blockade continues » Fears travel disruption could affect food supplies
MORE than 50 countries have cancelled UK flights, leaving passengers stranded in the days before Christmas, as the highly infectious new variant of Covid-19 spreads across the country.
There were scenes of chaos in Dover as France continued its ban on lorries carrying freight from the UK.
Some 170 were parked on the M20 in Kent, one of the UK’s worst virus hotspots.
Boris Johnson held crisis talks with French president Emmanuel Macron yesterday but the nightmare was set to continue until Christmas – and potentially beyond, if Brexit negotiators fail to agree an EU trade deal.
There were fears the disruption could threaten supplies of fresh goods for Christmas.
But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted “for the most part” supplies would get through and there would only be problems if the blockade continued.
The markets tumbled in response to the crisis and the looming prospect of a no-deal Brexit next week.
More than £33billion was wiped off the FTSE 100 within minutes of opening, although it later rallied.
The new highly infectious variant, known as VUI-202012/01, was first found in the south-east but has now been recorded in n all parts of the country except t Northern Ireland.
There have been 18 cases s identified in Scotland so far.
Interim chief medical officer r Gregor Smith told the Scottish h Government’s daily media briefing g yesterday that was one more than n reported at the weekend.
However, he added: “I, and d others, would feel that this is quite e an under-estimate.”
Meanwhile, at the same event, t, Nicola Sturgeon said the risk of the new strain spreading rapidly y in Scotland was “very real”. She e
added: “That’s what we’ve got to stop here in Scotland, and that’s the reason for the actions that I announced on Saturday.”
She added: “If we do nothing now, we are likely to see more new infections in Scotland as a result of this variant – placing an even greater strain on our health service, and leading to more deaths.”
Eng l and’s chie f scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance told the No10 briefing yesterday: “It’s localised in some places but we know there are cases everywhere, so it’s not as though we can stop this getting into other places, there’s some there already. The message has been very clear and I think I want to reinforce it: ‘Stay local.’”
He added: “The evidence on this virus is that it spreads easily, it’s more transmissible, we absolutely need to make sure we have the right level of restrictions in place.
“I think it is likely that this will grow in numbers of the variant across the country and I think it’s likely, therefore, that measures will need to be increased in some places, in due course, not reduced.”
In London, the infection rate has risen from 243 cases per 100,000 people on December 9 to 528 on December 16.
Yet the Prime Minister, challenged over his record of over-promising during the pandemic, struck an upbeat note.
Johnson claimed: “We can certainly look forward to a very, very different world from Easter onwards.”
More than 500,000 people have now received the first dose of a vaccine in the UK.
Professor James Naismith, of Oxford University, said: “Whatever happens, January and possibly February will be difficult months, with death tolls once again exceeding 500 per day on some days. This is a very serious moment.”