UK PM Johnson urged to impose blanket COVID-19 border controls amid new mutation threats

British PM Boris Johnson is facing increasing pressure from cabinet ministers and scientists to impose blanket border control measures against coronavirus instead of his preferred option of a targeted approach. Top experts in country, earlier warned that current measure was t eugh to prevent new, highly contagious mutations from entering country. In addendum, country’s health secretary Matt Hancock also expressed concerns about possibility of approved vaccines failing to work on new mutations.

According to Guardian, British ministers are set to meet on January 26, to weigh up merits and demerits of a border policy that could require new arrivals, including British citizens, to quarantine at ir own expense in government-supervised hotels. Prime Minister and transport secretary Grant Shapps have argued in favor of a targeted approach that would restrict travellers only from countries of South Africa and Brazil, where new strain was discovered earlier his month. On or hand, Hancock and home secretary Priti Patel have spoken in favour of tougher restrictions.

'to safeguard vaccinations' 

Patel, citing scientific data, had called for complete closure of international borders. She had said that a “decisive effort” was a need on part of British government to safeguard advances British authority have made in iculating people. Highlighting perils of infection caused by anyone who slipped through targeted measures, Patel has w called for blanketed measures.

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Meanwhile, health secretary Matt Hancock warned that coronavirus vaccines may be less effective against new variants of disease. Two new mutations of SARS-CoV-2 were discovered earlier this month-one in South Africa and or in Brazil. While UK has imposed stringent lockdown and strict border restrictions to curb spread of discovered variants, Hancock warned that re could be more undiscovered, lethal COVID-19 strains.

Read: UK Vaccination Drive Expands As Virus Toll Nears 100,000

However, he justified border closures and said that country needs a “precautionary principle” that says “let’s t bring se new variants back to UK.” Speaking in an interview with Sky News, health secretary also expressed his concern for new variants developing elsewhere in world.

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