VOA常速英语:病毒变异后英国疫情失控

This is VOA news. Via remote, I'm Liz Parker.

Trucks waiting to get into Britain are backing up for miles. People are stranded at airports as countries imposed stringent travel restrictions and temporary bans on travel to and from the U.K. This is all due to a mutant strain of the coronavirus that has rapidly spread through London and southern England in December. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the strain is, quote, "out of control." However, many experts have warned it's not clear if this version is more lethal. They've also said the new COVID-19 vaccine should be effective against the variant. From Canada to India, one nation after another has banned flights from Britain. Meanwhile, France barred the entry of trucks from Britain for 48 hours while the strain is assessed. The precautions raised fears of food shortages in Britain if the restrictions drag on. There were rising hopes Monday that France would allow traffic to flow again if truck drivers take coronavirus tests on arrival.

British Airways announced it will only allow travelers who test negative for the coronavirus to fly to New York City. The move was in response to calls from the state of New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio to ban air travel from Britain over the new coronavirus strain. Cuomo made the announcement and also called for Delta Airlines and Virgin Atlantic [airwi...] Airways to "voluntarily agree" to do the same. Virgin Atlantic has since announced they, too, will require the tests.

The outgoing U.S. attorney general, William Barr, said Monday he sees "no reason" to appoint a special counsel on two key issues to President Donald Trump that would be potential election fraud or the tax investigation into the son of President-elect Joe Biden.

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