UK bans travel from Denmark amid mutated Coronavirus outbreak from mink to humans

On November 6, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a ban on overseas citizens from entering into Britain from Denmark amid an outbreak of a new coronavirus strain that can potentially spread from minks to humans. The law exempted UK citizens, but a mandatory 14 days quarantine along with all other members of the household was ordered by the British parliament. UK’s transport secretary announced in a statement the exception for UK citizens at 02:00 GMT, shortly before the rule went into effect. 

"This decision to act quickly follows on from health authorities in Denmark reporting widespread outbreaks of coronavirus in mink farms. Keeping the UK public safety remains our top priority,” transport secretary Grant Shapps said in a post on Twitter. Meanwhile, Denmark's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod called UK’s decision surprising, adding that it was a “drastic step”. Earlier, Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen announced that the government would cull close to 15 million minks in Danish farms, to minimize the risk of mutated coronavirus spread to humans. As many as 12 people in the northern part of Denmark were infected with mink coronavirus. 

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Half of 783 COVID-19 cases mink related

Health Minister Magnus Heunicke was reported saying by AP that at least half the 783 human COVID-19 cases in northern Denmark ”are related” to mink. “It is very, very serious,” Frederiksen said. “Thus, the mutated virus in minks can have devastating consequences worldwide.” Denmark is one of Europe’s largest mink fur exporters and produces 17 million fur. Denmark’s minister for food, Mogens Jensen told sources of AP that as many as 207 mink farms were now infected, and there was a potential outbreak transmitted to humans.

A total of 207 out of the 1,139 fur farms in Denmark has been infected with COVID-19, according to the Denmark health authorities. While animal welfare group Humane Society International acknowledged the Denmark PM for his immediate step, PETA lashed out on Twitter calling the brutal culling as the minks industry should have never started in the first place. 

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