British transport minister bans arrivals from Brazil and neighbouring states

Britain's transport minister said on Thursday he was banning arrivals from Brazil, other South American states and Portugal due to concerns over a new coronavirus variant.

"I've taken the urgent decision to ban arrivals from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela – from tomorrow, 15 Jan at 4am (0400 GMT) following evidence of a new variant in Brazil," Grant Shapps said on Twitter.

Portugal was also added to the banned list because of close travel links with Brazil, he said.