British and Irish golfers and rugby teams were scrambling to return home on Friday after the U.K. government announced it was banning flights from South Africa …
British and Irish golfers and rugby teams were scrambling to return home on Friday after the U.K. government announced it was banning flights from South Africa to counter the spread of a new COVID-19 variant. The inaugural season of the DP World Tour started Thursday but more than a dozen players pulled out of the Joburg Open because of the new restrictions, tour spokesman Steve Todd confirmed on Friday. United Rugby Championship matches scheduled in South Africa over the next two weekends were postponed, and Welsh teams Cardiff and Scarlets were trying to get out. The Netherlands men’s cricket team has reportedly called off its tour of South Africa midway through the first one-day international at Centurion on Friday, which it will complete. The Dutch had two more ODIs scheduled. The U.K. announced it was suspending flights from South Africa and five other southern African countries and making travellers from these countries self-isolate for 10 days effective from 1200 GMT Friday. From Sunday morning, travellers would have to go into hotel quarantine. U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said there were concerns the new variant “may be more transmissible” than the delta strain, and “the vaccines that we currently have may be less effective” against it.
