After the news that a new version of SARS-CoV-2 was circulating in alarming rates in the United Kingdom, Albania decided to block all the flights from this country from the 22nd of December, until the 6th of January. The Ministry of Health announced also that it will make obligatory the quarantine for everyone coming from the United Kingdom. By adopting this measure, Albania joined Denmark, Germany, Italy, Canada and other countries that announced a travel ban on passengers arriving from the UK for fear of the new version of the virus. The Minister of Health Ogerta Manastirliu considered this measure as a necessary tool to avoid the entrance of this mutation of the virus in Albania.
While the current information suggests that the new mutated version circulates 70% faster than the old version, experts for the moment excludes the possibility that it could cause more severe illness or higher mortality. This was confirmed also by the Head of the Control of Infectious Diseases Department of the Institute of Public Health, Silvia Bino, who excluded for the moment the possibility that the mutated version is more aggressive.
