LONDON’S Heathrow Airport has opened a new terminal on Tuesday (1) for arrivals from countries designated as "red list", such as India, to avoid the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
Travellers on direct flights from such destinations will now go through Terminal 3 and then move directly to a government-approved quarantine facility.
The announcement comes after the London airport's staff raised fears for their safety because of overcrowding and expressed concerns over travellers arriving from red list countries mixing with those from green and amber.
“Red list routes will likely be a feature of UK travel for the foreseeable future as countries vaccinate their populations at different rates,” a Heathrow Airport spokesperson said.
There are 43 countries on the UK government's red list to cover regions linked with high-risk Covid-19 variants such as India, Brazil and South Africa.
The latest system has been planned with several layers of Covid-19 security, including mandatory negative tests for all international arrivals, use of face coverings and social distancing.
These steps have been taken to reduce the risk of transmission of new coronavirus variants, a UK government spokesperson said.
Britain on Monday reported 3,383 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,487,339, government data showed.
The recent spike in infections is believed to be largely because of highly transmissible B1.617.2 variant, that has been named 'Delta' by the World Health Organisation.
Scientists have advised caution before all Covid-19 lockdown restrictions are lifted on June 21.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)