Russia imposes 14-day quarantine on arrivals from Britain after reported discovery of new & more contagious Covid-19 mutation

Russia has introduced a two-week quarantine for travelers arriving from the UK, as a measure to stop the spread of a more infectious Covid-19 strain. Its discovery was announced last weekend by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“All persons arriving from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the territory of Russia (except for air crews) are obliged to observe self-isolation rules at home for a period of 14 days,” the resolution, signed by Russia’s Chief Sanitary Doctor Anna Popova, says.

The decree came into force on Saturday, and there is no planned end date. Russia’s decision comes after a new strain of coronavirus was detected in the UK, with Johnson telling the British public it could be up to 70 percent more transmissible than the original variant. Following its discovery, more than 40 countries banned or limited travel from Britain, including many within the European Union.

On Monday, Russia opted to halt air traffic to the UK for a week, with flights between the nations ending on December 22. Britain was one of a handful of countries to have resumed regular flights to Russia since the Covid-19 crisis began in the spring.

Two days later, on Wednesday, Popova announced that the newly detected coronavirus mutation had not yet been found in Russia.

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