With flight bans and border closings, Europe is arming itself against a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus discovered in Great Britain. Germany largely stops flights from the UK. Landings from the country are forbidden from midnight, according to an order from the Federal Ministry of Transport on Sunday. Accordingly, pure cargo flights are excluded. According to British authorities, the virus mutation is up to 70 percent more contagious than the previously known form and is expanding rapidly, especially in London and south-east England. The authorities ordered a shutdown with exit and travel bans for the region.

Great Britain and South Africa in focus The Federal Government had announced that it intends to restrict travel between Germany and South Africa. Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) announced on ARD that a regulation should be issued for both countries on Monday. The Federal Ministry of the Interior had already instructed the federal police on Sunday evening to immediately and systematically check travelers from Great Britain and South Africa. “We are in contact with the member states to increase the exchange of information and to check how they can coordinate,” said a spokesman for the EU Commission in Brussels on Sunday when asked. Several countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands rushed forward and no longer allow entry from the United Kingdom.

French President Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, President of the European Council, discussed the new Corona situation in a phone call. According to information from Elysée circles, a joint approach in view of the new variant of the corona virus was the focus of the talks. Macron has called a defense council for Sunday evening.

“Out of control” The British government expressed concern about the Virus mutation. “It’s out of control and we need to get it back under control,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC on Sunday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasized, however, that there is no evidence that the mutation causes more severe disease processes or a higher mortality rate or that vaccines against the mutation are less effective.

In Germany, the new variant is, according to information from Christian Drosten from the Berlin Charité has not yet appeared. The spread could be a coincidence, wrote the Corona expert on Twitter. The mutations did not necessarily give the virus a selection advantage, even if that was possible. A selection advantage can make it easier for a virus to spread.

Other countries had already acted: The Netherlands canceled flights to and from Great Britain, Belgium also closes for at least 24 hours its borders with Great Britain. This also applies to the Eurostar train through the tunnel under the English Channel. The Italian government wants to suspend flight connections with Great Britain due to the Corona situation in England, Austria has also announced a landing ban. The British parts of Wales and Scotland also tightened the restrictions. Greece extended the quarantine requirement for all people arriving from the United Kingdom – from Monday morning they will have to be in quarantine for a whole week instead of the previous three days.

Understanding of the shutdown London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan showed understanding for the shutdown, in which non-essential shops and facilities have to close. At the same time, he criticized the government, which a few days ago had adhered to the planned Christmas easing. “It’s the back and forth that leads to so much fear, despair, grief and disappointment,” Khan told the BBC. “If we keep changing our minds, it makes it really difficult for people like me to ask people to listen to us.” Prime Minister Johnson had only recently stuck to the planned easing over Christmas.

Now his government took strict measures. More than 16 million people are affected, who are only allowed to leave their homes for work and in exceptional cases such as visiting the doctor or shopping for groceries. “We are sacrificing the opportunity to see our loved ones this Christmas so we have a better chance to save their lives so we can see them at Christmas in the future,” said Johnson.

In London and In other regions, the new highest Corona level 4 now applies. Residents are not allowed to leave the area. After the more stringent measures were announced, numerous people spontaneously set off on Saturday evening to leave London. Photos and videos showed full train stations. Minister Hancock did not rule out that the stricter measures would remain in force “in the coming months” until vaccinations against corona had been carried out across the board.

“No reason for Vaccine alarm ” According to initial analyzes by British scientists, the new variant has an unusually large number of genetic changes, especially in the spike protein. This protein is required by the virus to enter cells. The vaccine used in Great Britain by the Mainz-based company Biontech and its US partner Pfizer generates an immune response against precisely this protein.

Experts are confident that the vaccine will also work against the new variant. “I don’t see any reason for alarm at the moment,” said Richard Neher from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel. Andreas Bergthaler from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM) in Vienna does not consider the current development to be “incredibly alarming” either. It is not uncommon for mutations to appear; it is currently not known whether the observed changes have a decisive influence on the properties of the pathogen.

Great Britain began mass vaccination on December 8th. Health Secretary Hancock expects half a million people to be cared for by Sunday evening. Great Britain is already one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, with a total of more than two million infections and more than 80. 000 Deaths related to the coronavirus.

(mho)