(VOVWORLD) - The Ministry of Health has proposed suspending or limiting flights from countries and territories that have reported the new variant of coronavirus.
The ministry noted that 34 countries had announced the detection of new COVID-19 variants as of Sunday.
On December 18, 2020, the World Health Organisation reported that a new variant of coronavirus was found in the UK, which is said to be 70 percent more transmissible than the old one. It is spreading to other countries rapidly.
So far, more than 40 countries territories have restricted travel from/to the UK and other countries that have reported cases with the virus variant.
Germany and the Netherlands have been the first to close the border with the UK, while France has requested travellers to take quarantine and show proof that they have been tested negative for coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Spain and Turkey have banned immigrants from the UK until the end of January. The US and the rest of Europe have also reduced the number of flights to the UK.
Japan has announced the ban of all entries until the end of this month, while Indonesia has refused to receive travellers from the UK.
In Vietnam, a woman returning home from Britain and quarantined in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh upon arrival on December 22 was confirmed to be infected with the new virus strain.