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UK Health Minister Matt Hancock. PA Images

UK identifies another 'yet more transmissible' new variant of Covid-19 related to travel from South Africa

UK Health Minister Matt Hancock said travel restrictions are to be immediately imposed.

LAST UPDATE | 23 Dec 2020

THE UNITED KINGDOM is placing travel restrictions on people arriving from South Africa after two cases of another new variant of Covid-19 have been detected associated with travel from South Africa.

In South Africa, researchers have identified a severe variant of the coronavirus, the 501.V2 Variant, which could explain the rapid spread of a second wave there affecting younger people.

The shares some similarities with the strain dominant in the UK that is causing concern but it is thought to have evolved separately.

Speaking at a Downing Street briefing this afternoon,  said that two cases of the variant have been identified.

“We’ve detected two cases of another new variant of coronavirus here in the UK both are contacts of cases who have travelled from South Africa over the past few weeks,” he said, adding that UK scientists have been in contact with counterparts in South Africa.

This new variant is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant has been discovered in the UK. We’ve taken the following actions. First, we are quarantining cases and close contacts of cases found here in the UK. Second, we’re placing immediate restrictions on travel from South Africa. And finally, and most importantly, anyone in the UK who has been in South Africa in the past fortnight, and anyone who has a close contact of someone who’s been in South Africa, in the last fortnight must quarantine immediately.

On Monday, Switzerland imposed an entry ban on arrivals from Britain and South Africa and ordered retroactive quarantine for all arrivals from the countries since 14 December.

A slew of countries, including Ireland, currently have travel bans in place on Britain due to the new variant of Covid-19 spreading there.

Speaking about the transmissibility of the new “South African variant”, Dr Susan Hopkins of Public Health England said they are “still learning about it”.

“Both of them look like they’re more transmissible, we have more evidence on the transmission for the UK variant because we’ve been studying it in great detail with our academic partners, we’re still learning about the South African variant,” she said.

Tier 4

The announcement about the new variant came as Hancock announced that millions more people in England will be placed into lockdown from 26 December due the  “dangerous rate” of coronavirus spread. 

Areas moving to the toughest Tier 4– where there is a stay at home order – from St Stephen’s Day are: Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, and parts of Essex not yet in Tier 4

The changes mean an additional six million people will be in a Tier 4 in three days’ time, 24 million people in total or 43% of the population of England.

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    Mute David Stapleton
    Favourite David Stapleton
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:00 PM

    Is there any way to find out if I was not baptised correctly and so am not a member of an organisation that I cannot voluntarily leave?

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    Mute Charlie
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:04 PM

    @David Stapleton: You can certainly leave but they will still consider you a catholic.
    Even if you choose to be another religion, or you can try and get excommunicated. If you succeed will you spread the “word”?

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    Mute Irish Antichrist
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    Feb 17th 2022, 7:14 PM

    @Charlie: You need permission to get excommunicated and no you cannot voluntarily leave they made it illegal 15 years or so ago.

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    Mute Miriam Kelliher
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    Feb 17th 2022, 8:17 PM

    @Irish Antichrist: illegal? Seriously

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    Mute Teresa O'Halloran
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    Feb 18th 2022, 12:28 AM

    @David Stapleton: If you don’t want to belong – leave. No need to make a drama out of it.

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    Mute Marie Gunbay
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    Feb 18th 2022, 1:10 AM

    @David Stapleton: love your humour ha ha hope you are not stressing out about this.

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    Mute Stephen Mogerley
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:03 PM

    This is like an Onion article.

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    Mute David F. Dwyer
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:11 PM

    Is there anything to be said for another mass?

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Feb 17th 2022, 5:08 PM

    @David F. Dwyer: that would be an ecumenical matter

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    Mute Brendan Harlowe
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:00 PM

    @David F. Dwyer: it would depend on the wording used if it would be beneficial

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    Mute Larry Whack
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:02 PM

    Remember, these people are supposedly educated adults.

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    Mute Maximus_Demonus
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    Feb 17th 2022, 4:33 PM

    Ah no, if you’re going to do magic spells get the wording correct, otherwise anything can happen.

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    Mute Tony Durran
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:25 PM

    @Maximus_Demonus: Mickey mouse showed us the horrors that can unfold.

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    Mute Séamus White
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:05 PM

    Lucky them

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:09 PM

    But I thought their god was three people?

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    Mute Watchful Axe
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:59 PM

    @John Mulligan: When you look at a shamrock, is that one leaf or three leaves in your opinion. Jazus.

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Feb 17th 2022, 9:03 PM

    @Watchful Axe: we have no idea of the relevance of your question.
    And my name’s not Jazus.

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    Mute Larry O Reilly
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:09 PM

    What the big deal, it down to interpretation we v I, who cares they lucky anyone want to be associated with this corporate sinful organisation

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    Mute Ann Harman
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:56 PM

    We=God and I.No problem

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    Mute Mike Ryan
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:13 PM

    Who knew identity politics would be such a pervasive issue in the catholic church

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    Mute Tony Durran
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:24 PM

    They’ve got a point. What if the spell doesn’t work without the correct invocation?!

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    Mute Padraic McDonagh
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:50 PM
    38
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    Mute Mary Nugent
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:15 PM

    @Padraic McDonagh: Boris at it back then, my God.

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    Mute Irish Antichrist
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    Feb 17th 2022, 7:13 PM

    Why would a universe creator give a toss??

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    Mute Colm de Cleir
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    Feb 17th 2022, 9:36 PM

    Hilarious! So what does the all-powerful, all-loving God look down on the baptism and snark… “Hmmm… no, he didn’t quite say that right, so that baby can’t come in I’m afraid”? – It’s hard to believe that a church who continuously preaches about how God and The Holy Spirit and Jesus love us all so much and is super-powerful and super-intelligent, and how we should rejoice that He even exists… would also consider Him that incredibly petty…

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    Mute Pete Brady
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    Feb 17th 2022, 7:25 PM

    They need to train priests better so that this doesnt happen again and set up a freephone helpline for concerned Catholics who may be affected by this error. I mightn’t sleep tonight unless I can pull out my documents on the off chance my parents christened me in Brazil.

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    Mute Christopher Mc Camley
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:27 PM

    Usual anti Catholics that the Journal attracts out with their comments. This Cork priest hasn’t a clue what he’s talking about. He merely confirms that the Association of Catholic Priests isn’t representing the views of majority of priests.

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    Mute Pat Conway
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    Feb 17th 2022, 8:02 PM

    @Christopher Mc Camley: What difference does it make anyway whether it’s a ‘correct’ baptism or not. What benefit does it bring to the child? None whatsoever.

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    Mute katholic
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    Feb 17th 2022, 7:24 PM

    Asking the Association of “Catholic” Priests to comment on something like this is pretty pointless. They’re nothing but the media’s “go-to” Fr. Trendys. They can always be relied upon to misunderstand and fudge the details of any issue relating to the Church.

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    Mute Piggy
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    Feb 17th 2022, 4:42 PM

    No, he was on trial in Liverpool

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    Mute Ken Miles
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:56 PM

    Should have stuck with the proper version, no mistake then

    ego te baptizo in nomine + Patris, et Filii, +, et Spiritus + Sancti.

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    Mute Irish Antichrist
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    Feb 17th 2022, 7:16 PM

    @Ken Miles: + Et Nonsense

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    Mute Colm de Cleir
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    Feb 18th 2022, 12:32 AM

    Maybe it’s a computer running it all up there and they forgot an important rule of UI: Never allow free text on data you’re going to validate. They need to spell it out for them and the priest just ticks a box or something.

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    Mute Sean
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    Feb 18th 2022, 7:59 AM

    Why would milk not work for consecration? After all it isn’t actually the blood of Jesus that is used. It is just red wine with a drop of water.

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