France recorded its first case of the new variant of coronavirus, which was originally detected in the UK. This is reported by Reuters, citing a statement from the French Ministry of Health.
"A Frenchman who recently arrived back in France from London had tested positive for the new variant of the coronavirus," the French health ministry said.
The ministry said the case - the first in France - had been found in the city of Tours. The man in question arrived from London on December 19. He was currently self-isolating and felt alright, the ministry added.
Due to concerns about the spread of a new highly infectious strain of Covid-19, France imposed a ban on all flights from the UK for several days, also blocking traffic on the Eurotunnel.
Earlier, Prime Minister of the UK Boris Johnson stated that a new coronavirus strain was identified in the UK.
The World Health Organization urged Europeans to strengthen approaches to control and prevent the spread of the virus due to the appearance of a new strain of coronavirus in some European countries.