New virus strains prompt travel restrictions with Britain

More and more countries around the world are restricting travel from Britain and elsewhere amid concerns about new strains of the coronavirus, as their governments analyze test results and try to find ways to protect their populations and hospital systems.

The restrictions focus mainly on Britain, which imposed strict new lockdown measures Saturday night because of what it described as the unusually rapid spread of a new strain there. A few other European countries have confirmed cases of the virus variant, and another strain considered especially infectious has been identified in South Africa.

Here is a look at various restrictions so far:

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EUROPE

France: Banned all passenger and cargo traffic from Britain for 48 hours, the toughest restrictions so far. The ban is set to end at midnight Tuesday and applies to flights and traffic via the tunnel beneath the English Channel.

Belgium: The other country that connects with Britain via the tunnel banned all passenger travel, including transit passengers, for 24 hours starting Sunday at midnight.

Germany: No passenger flights from Britain allowed to land through Dec. 31.

Netherlands: Banned flights from the U.K. at least until the new year.

Spain: Will suspend flights from Britain as of Tuesday and until further notice, except for those carrying Spanish citizens or people with Spanish residency. Spain will also step up border controls with Gibraltar, the British colony on Spain’s southwestern coast.

Switzerland: Banned foreign nationals arriving from the U.K. and South Africa and ordered those who arrived since Dec. 14 to go into quarantine.

Italy: Suspending flights from and to Britain until Jan. 6. Also forbids entrance into Italy by anyone who has transited through Britain in the last 14 days.

Russia: Will suspend...