The UK has tightened immigration regulations to prevent the unprecedented mutation of Omicron from raging.
The Guardian reported that all people travelling to the UK from abroad will be forced to undergo a Covid-19 test before travelling. The new British regulations are their latest attempt to deal with the Omicron mutation.
British Health Minister Sajid Javid said that the austerity measures will take effect at 4 am on December 7.
All people arriving in the UK must show a negative SARS-CoV-2 test within 48 hours to enter the country. Currently, people entering the UK only need to self-isolate and wait for a negative test result within 2 days of arrival.
In addition, following the previous African countries, the United Kingdom also included Nigeria in the “red” list of restricted access to the United Kingdom.
The British health agency said that on December 4, the number of Omicron infections in the country increased to 160, an increase of 26 from the previous day.
Minister Javid emphasized that additional measures have been taken to slow the entry of Omicron. He emphasized that the vaccine is still the “first line of defense” and urged people to vaccinate again if they meet the conditions.
Omicron was first discovered in Africa at the end of November. Compared with previous mutations, there are many unprecedented mutations in Europe and America, which have attracted the attention of scientists and world public opinion. This feature raises concerns that Omicrons may be more infectious or potentially resistant to vaccines. However, so far, the data on Omicron is still incomplete, and it is impossible to draw accurate conclusions about the characteristics of this variant.