As the country reopens, the UK government has now come out to fight the criticism against the administration’s handling of the deadly variant of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a>, B1.617.2, which was first found in India.

Many alleged that the government was too slow to impose travel restrictions towards India which led to an increase in cases in the UK.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock broke his silence on these accusations and said it was “completely wrong” to suggest that the government could have acted faster.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/coronavirus-update-india-reports-311000-covid-19-cases-in-24-hours-385393">Watch |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/coronavirus-update-india-reports-311000-covid-19-cases-in-24-hours-385393/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Under the travel restrictions on India, the South Asian country was put under “red list” due to which any traveller entering the UK had to go through compulsory hotel quarantine.

Hancock, however, explained that India was subjected to travel restrictions back in April when the variant was still under investigation.

He also blasted the opposition party’s accusations of putting India and Bangladesh on red list before India. The opposition leaders believe India was not out on the red list as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, wanted to complete his visit to India first.

However, Hancock has dismissed these claims and said “we take these decisions based on the evidence”.

His defense has come as the country is slowly returning back to normalcy, with people now allowed to dine outdoors, indoors and even hug each other.

As the country reopens, the UK government has now come out to fight the criticism against the administration’s handling of the deadly variant of coronavirus, B1.

As the country reopens, the UK government has now come out to fight the criticism against the administration’s handling of the deadly variant of coronavirus, B1.617.2, which was first found in India. Many alleged that the government was too slow to impose travel restrictions towards India which led to an increase in cases in the UK. Health Secretary Matt Hancock broke his silence on these accusations and said it was “completely wrong” to suggest that the government could have acted faster. Watch | Under the travel restrictions on India, the South Asian country was put under “red list” due to which any traveller entering the UK had to go through compulsory hotel quarantine. Hancock, however, explained that India was subjected to travel restrictions back in April when the variant was still under investigation. He also blasted the opposition party’s accusations of putting India and Bangladesh on red list before India. The opposition leaders believe India was not out on the red list as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, wanted to complete his visit to India first. However, Hancock has dismissed these claims and said “we take these decisions based on the evidence”. His defense has come as the country is slowly returning back to normalcy, with people now allowed to dine outdoors, indoors and even hug each other.

Matt Hancock defends UK government's handling of covid variant

The World Health Organization (WHO) informed on May 12, 2021 that the COVID-19 variant -B.1.617 that was first found in India in October 2020 has been detected in sequences uploaded from 44 countries in all six WHO regions.

Covid-19 variant first detected in India, found in 44 countries: WHO

Variants of the novel coronavirus are the biggest risk for the US economic recovery, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari has said. 
 
"The biggest risks that I see to the recovery are these variants," Kashkari told the Economic Club of New York, mentioning one variant of the virus which is dominant in parts of the US and easily infects younger people, Xinhua reported. 
 
If organisations including daycare centres and schools need to be closed in response to the spread, that could "set us back", he said. 
 
"That's not my base case scenario but that`s what the healthcare experts that I consult with are warning me about," he added.

Variants of the novel coronavirus are the biggest risk for the US economic recovery, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari has said. "The biggest risks that I see to the recovery are these variants," Kashkari told the Economic Club of New York, mentioning one variant of the virus which is dominant in parts of the US and easily infects younger people, Xinhua reported.

Variants of the novel coronavirus are the biggest risk for the US economic recovery, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari has said. "The biggest risks that I see to the recovery are these variants," Kashkari told the Economic Club of New York, mentioning one variant of the virus which is dominant in parts of the US and easily infects younger people, Xinhua reported. If organisations including daycare centres and schools need to be closed in response to the spread, that could "set us back", he said. "That's not my base case scenario but that`s what the healthcare experts that I consult with are warning me about," he added.

'Covid variants pose biggest threat to US economic recovery'

With a new Coronavirus varient in the Brazil, the country is witnessing a massive surge in the number of COVID-19 patients under 40 in intensive care units. The number of people aged 39 or younger in intensive care units rose sharply in March to more than 11,000 patients.

Brazil has more younger COVID-19 patients than old in ICUs

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