Albania imposed restrictions on travel with the UK in a bid to stop the spread of a new strain of the coronavirus that is believed to be up to 70% more infectious.

Health Minister, Ogerta Manastirliu informed on Monday that starting from Tuesday, 22 December to 6 January all flights from UK will be suspended. Meanwhile, all citizens that will come from Britain will be forced to do 14 of quarantine. This is a temporary restriction in order to avoid as much as possible the new virus strain," said Minister. 

Continental Europe was pulling up the drawbridge on the UK on Sunday as Italy joined Belgium, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands in banning flights from the UK.

A domino effect of travel restrictions was growing amid rising concern over a mutant strain of Covid-19 that has effectively plunged London and other parts of Britain into lockdown over Christmas.

France said it was banning all travel from the UK for 48 hours in a move that the prime minister’s office said would come into effect from midnight.

In a statement, it said that the short 48-hour period would buy authorities time to find a “common doctrine” on how to deal with the threat. It specified that “flows of people or transport to the UK are not affected”.

Ireland’s transport minister Eamon Ryan confirmed the country will impose a 48-hour ban on travel from Britain to Ireland.