France suspends all flights to and from Brazil due to COVID variant

France will suspend all flights to and from Brazil in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus variant first detected there, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said in parliament.

"We take note that the situation is getting worse and we have decided to suspend all flights between France and Brazil until further notice," Castex said. Several leading French doctors have been calling on the government for days to stop all air traffic with Brazil.

A month ago, Health Minister Olivier Veran said that around 6% of COVID-19 cases in France were from the more contagious variants first found in Brazil and South Africa.