UK bans visitors from Denmark over mink Covid-19 concerns

Millions of mink have been culled in the country

The UK has placed a ban on non-UK citizens entering the country from Denmark as concerns grow over a new strain of coronavirus that has spread to humans from mink.

Any UK citizens returning from Denmark will now have to isolate with all household members for 14 days, with Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps announcing new changes a matter of hours before they took effect on Saturday.

‘This decision to act quickly follows on from health authorities in Denmark reporting widespread outbreaks of coronavirus in mink farms,’ Shapps tweeted.

DENMARK update:

From 4am on 7 November, British Nationals or residents who are returning to the UK directly or indirectly from Denmark will need to self-isolate with other members of their household until two weeks have passed since they were last in Denmark.

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) November 7, 2020

Denmark had been removed from the UK’s coronavirus travel corridors list prior to the weekend when it  first became clear that a mutated form of coronavirus was present in the Scandinavian country.

Since the news emerged, millions of mink have been culled on farms across Denmark, with a lockdown also triggered in some parts of the country.

According to reports, over 200 people are believed to have been infected with the mink-related strain.

It is thought the animals initially contracted the disease from infected farm workers, passing a slightly mutated form back to humans in a small number of cases.