Everything we know so far about the South Africa Covid variant

The UK is implementing a travel ban on South Africa amid concerns over another new strain of Covid-19.

Following last week’s news of a new, UK strain that resulted in the creation of the new Tier 4 restrictions in England, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on 23 December that two cases of a South Africa-borne strain have been identified in the UK.

The two cases were contacts of people who have travelled from South Africa over the past few weeks, and the Health Secretary said the cases and their close contacts have been quarantined.

Here is everything you need to know.

What is the new ban?

From 9am on Christmas Eve, visitors arriving into England who have been in or travelled through South Africa in the previous 10 days are not permitted entry and direct flights are banned.

The ban excludes cargo and freight without passengers, and also does not include British and Irish nationals, visa holders and permanent residents, who will be able to enter but are required to self-isolate for 10 days along with their household.

Any exemptions usually in place – including for those related to employment – will not apply and passengers arriving in England from South Africa after 9pm on Wednesday cannot be released from self-isolation through Test to Release.

Mr Hancock added: “Anyone in the UK who has been in South Africa in the past fortnight and anyone who is a close contact of someone who has been in South Africa in the last fortnight, must quarantine immediately.

“They must restrict all contact with any other person whatsoever.”

The law will be changed to cover the new restrictions, but Mr Hancock said the measures are “temporary while we investigate further this new strain.”

Is the South Africa variant more infectious?

It is believed that the new South African variant could be more infectious than both the original dominant version of Covid-19, and the new UK strain.

At his Downing Street press briefing, Mr Hancock said: “This new variant is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant discovered in the UK.”

Latest figures suggest the South African strain was behind a record number of people being taken to hospital there.

Infectious diseases expert Dr Susan Hopkins explained that the new variant already discovered in the UK, which has forced large parts of southern England into Tier 4 restrictions, is different to that found in South Africa.