Russia extends UK flight suspension until February 1

MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/. Russia will keep flights to and from the United Kingdom suspended until February 1, 2021, the anti-coronavirus crisis center said in a statement on Tuesday. "The anti-coronavirus crisis center has decided to keep flights to and from the United Kingdom suspended. In order to protect public health, the suspension has been extended until 11:59 pm on February 1, 2021," the statement reads. Russia suspended flights to and from the UK on December 22. According to the World Health Organization, a new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus, initially found in the UK, has been recorded in more than 40 countries. Russia detected the new strain in late 2020. Head of the country’s sanitary watchdog Anna Popova said that Russian testing systems were capable of detecting the new variant of the virus. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on December 14 that the country’s researchers had discovered a new strain of COVID-19, which could be the reason behind a rapid rise in infections in the country. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced at a press conference on December 19 that according to preliminary data, the new coronavirus strain could be 70% more contagious than others though there was no evidence that it was more deadly. Read more