Forty countries blocked travel to the UK because of a new kind of COVID-19. It is a mutant. It changed from the original virus. Some nations blocked links to the UK for a few days; others for two weeks. Many countries may change this. A travel ban by France is causing big problems. The UK gets a lot of food from France.

The new virus is 70% more infectious than the original one. It is spreading fast. It is out of control. A lot of the UK is in lockdown. Most people can only spend Christmas with people they live with. They cannot meet other people. The number of coronavirus cases has nearly doubled. The UK said there would be enough food.