VATICAN CITY - Christmas festivities began Friday, with hundreds of millions across the world under coronavirus restrictions celebrating a pared down version of a holiday typically marked by travel and large gatherings.
16:26 EDT, 24 December 2020
A Mexican military medical receives the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine jab, at the General Hospital in Mexico City, on December 24, 2020
Three Latin American countries launched mass immunization programs on Thursday as fears grew in Europe over a variant coronavirus strain that is believed to be far more contagious than the original version.
Frontline medical staff in Mexico and Chile were among the first to receive their vaccines while Costa Rica began its own immunization program, with President Carlos Alvarado hailing what may be the beginning of the end of this pandemic.
But global optimism was tempered as China and Brazil joined more than 50 governments restricting flights from Britain or air traffic in both directions, after the highly infectious new coronavirus strain first appeared there.
World readies for ‘restricted’ Christmas
General view of the queue of trucks in the area outside the Port of Dover waiting for a ferry as police block the entrance to the Port of Dover, in Dover, England, Wednesday, December 23, 2020. Photo: AP
Agencies
Agencies
Thousands of truckers endured Christmas Eve stranded near a major British port, ensnared in the chaos unleashed by a new coronavirus strain, as Western nations accelerated vaccination programmes.
European nations on Wednesday had started easing travel bans on Britain to contain a new coronavirus strain that UK officials believe spreads faster, with thousands of lorry drivers stranded in Britain.
Coronavirus dampens Christmas holidays worldwide as vaccinations gather speed
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic (L) receiving a Covid-19 vaccine
(AFP)
. Updated: 24 Dec 2020, 05:48 PM IST AFP
Britain on Thursday said rail and sea links with France will remain open over Christmas to clear the backlog
Passengers with negative virus tests on Wednesday boarded the first Eurostar trains from London to France since border closures
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Thousands of truckers endured Christmas Eve stranded near a major British port, ensnared in the chaos unleashed by a new coronavirus strain, as Western countries speeded up mass vaccinations.
China on Thursday became the latest country to suspend flights to and from the UK to contain the new strain that British officials believe spreads faster.
24th December, 2020 11:37:51
DOVER: Thousands of truckers endured Christmas Eve stranded near a major British port, ensnared in the chaos unleashed by a new coronavirus strain, as Western countries speeded up mass vaccinations, reports AFP.
Some of the thousands of lorry drivers stuck near the British port of Dover said they feared there was little chance of making it across the Channel in time for the holidays.
“Home for Christmas? Forget it,” said Laurent Beghin, a French driver who delivered his cargo of paint on Sunday but was still stranded in England.
Britain on Thursday said rail and sea links with France will remain open over Christmas to clear the backlog.