FILE: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves his hotel, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Call to ban travel from UK; Feds weigh response to new COVID-19 strain

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other members of his cabinet are meeting behind closed doors to discuss Canada's response to a new strain of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.

Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu revealed the discussions in a message on Twitter this afternoon as a number of European countries closed their borders with the UK because of the new strain, which is allegedly more contagious.

Trudeau's office later confirmed the meeting of the so-called Incident Response Group.

France, Belgium and the Netherlands are among the countries that have imposed travel bans to keep the strain from spreading.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet is calling for Ottawa to follow their lead and suspend flights from Britain.

The Trudeau government did not respond to questions from The Canadian Press about whether Canada was considering a travel ban.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2020.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2020

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Kathy Michaels

Kathy Michaels has been an Okanagan-based journalist for more than a decade, working for community papers along the valley and beyond.
She’s won provincial and national awards in business, news and feature writing and says that her love for telling a good story rivals only her fondness for turning a good phrase.
If you have a story that deserves to be told in a thoughtful and compassionate manner, don’t hesitate to reach out.
To reach Kathy call 250-718-0428 or email kmichaels@infonews.ca.

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