Russia to extend UK flight suspension until February 1

Russia will suspend flights to and from the United Kingdom until February 1, 2021, the anti-coronavirus crisis center said in a statement.

“The anti-coronavirus crisis center has decided to keep flights to and from the United Kingdom suspended. In order to protect public health, the suspension has been extended until 11:59 pm on February 1, 2021,” the statement said.

According to the World Health Organization, a new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus, initially found in the UK, has been recorded in more than 40 countries. Russia detected the new strain in late 2020. Head of the country’s sanitary watchdog Anna Popova said that Russian testing systems were capable of detecting the new variant of the virus.