10 test positive for COVID-19 on flights from UK

BERLIN

At least 10 passengers who traveled from the UK to Germany on Sunday have tested positive for coronavirus, a German daily reported on Monday.

It was not immediately clear whether they were infected with a new, quickly spreading variant of the coronavirus recently discovered in southern England.

Seven of the cases were reported among passengers who arrived at Hamburg Airport on Sunday night. Other cases were detected by COVID-19 testing at Hannover and Stuttgart airports, according to Bild daily.

The new, fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus has alarmed authorities over the weekend, with many European countries stopping flights from the UK out of precaution.

Hundreds of passengers from the UK were stranded at German airports on Sunday as authorities did not allow them to leave the airport until their test results arrived from the laboratories.

EU member states are holding an urgent meeting in Brussels on Monday to discuss joint measures to address the crisis.

British authorities believe that the new variant of the virus is up to 70% more contagious than the previously known variants.