coronavirus variant is already thought to be in the UK. Head of Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London, Professor Wendy Barclay believes the mutant strain has already been detected here.Travellers were banned from entering the UK from South America on Friday in a bid to avoid a new strain of the virus.The travel ban also covers Panama and Portugal.Although different from the new strains detected in the UK and South Africa, the Brazil variant shares some key mutations.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the BBC this morning the travel ban was a "precautionary measure" and he was "not aware" of any cases being detected in the UK.