Britain is banning all arrivals from Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo from Friday to stop the spread of the South Africa COVID-19 variant, transport secretary Grant Shapps said in a tweet on Thursday.
“All passengers from these countries except British & Irish Nationals and third country nationals with residents rights will be denied entry,” Shapps wrote in his tweet.
UK’s decision is in response to increased travel restrictions amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Coronavirus has hit UK hard with the country recording more than 3 million cases and 90,000 deaths linked to the disease.
Tanzania, an East African country, is one whose records for coronavirus cases have remain undisclosed since May 2020, creating doubt about the conspicuous absence of new cases or deaths.
With the raging new Ebola outbreak in the northeast of the DRC, the country’s 10th and the second largest in world history, the epidemic has claimed the lives of 2,287 of the 3,324 patients affected.
The 11th outbreak, in Équateur Province has so far affected 13 of the province’s 18 health zones, with 130 confirmed cases and 55 deaths.