Argentina and Chile suspend all flights to the UK

The last flights from Britain into Argentina and Chile arrived Monday morning after authorities suspended commercial flights to and from the UK amid concerns over a new strain of the coronavirus.

More and more countries around the world are restricting travel from Britain as governments respond to emergence of the seemingly more contagious variant of the virus.

The UK on Saturday imposed strict new measures on the south east of England, where the strain is most prevalent, because of what it described as the unusually rapid spread.

A few other European countries have confirmed cases of the variant, and another strain considered especially infectious has been identified in South Africa.

Passengers arriving into Ezeiza Airport outside Buenos Aires were required to take saliva tests even if they arrived with certificates confirming a negative PCR test.

Chilean Minister of the Interior and Citizen Security Rodrigo Delgado announced the suspension of flights to and from the UK and prohibited the entry of non-residents who have been in the European country in the last 14 days.

People residing in Chile who have visited Britain in the last two weeks are required to undergo a compulsory 14-day quarantine.