New Delhi, India

Panic is setting in around the world and lockdowns are making a comeback due to the three mutations of the novel coronavirus.

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Hundreds of Britons have fled quarantine in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier, with the country's health minister attributing the exodus to an "impossible situation" where authorities moved at short-notice to contain a new variant of the coronavirus.

Also read: British tourists flee Swiss resort overnight to escape quarantine amid fears of new covid strain

On Dec 21, the Swiss government ordered people who had arrived from the United Kingdom and South Africa since December 14 to undergo a 10-day quarantine to prevent the spread of more contagious variants of the coronavirus. It also halted flights before allowing them to resume a few days later so stranded visitors could return home.

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Swiss media reported on Sunday that about 200 British citizens left Verbier before the end of their quarantine.

Asked about the run-away tourists, Health Minister Alain Berset told reporters in Basel: "We are aware of that. It is obviously a problem, there was an order to quarantine that has not been respected."

Travellers hustled back to Japan on Monday as the government decided to tighten its borders, banning non-resident foreign nationals from entering the country.

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Japan on Saturday said it would temporarily ban non-resident foreign nationals from entering as it tightened its borders following the detection of a new, highly infectious variant of the coronavirus. The latest ban took effect on Monday and will run through January.

Under the new restrictions, Japanese citizens and foreign residents will be allowed to enter but must show proof of a negative coronavirus test 72 hours before departing for Japan and must quarantine for two weeks after arrival.

Also read: South Korea steps up vaccine efforts after detecting coronavirus variant from UK

South Korea detected its first case of the variant of coronavirus which was first found in Britain. Now, the government has stepped up efforts to contain further spread of the new variant, with officials vowing to speed up efforts to initiate a vaccination programme.

The new variant of coronavirus is thought to be more transmissible than the original strain and was spotted in three people who had come to South Korea from London on December 22, as per the information given out by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Monday.

After the new strains of coronavirus have been found in several countries, Sweden's government has issued temporary rules to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.

Also read: Sweden imposes stricter COVID-19 regulations amid fear of new variant

The new restrictions will bring limitations on the number of people to gather in specific public places and will drop the old general restrictions on public gatherings. The new rules will be imposed from January 10 after the government approves the final draft.

This new law will also enable the government to temporarily shut down several businesses, shopping malls, leisure and entertainment venues and public transports. "Those who violate restrictions that limit access to public places can be sentenced to a monetary fine," Health Minister Lena Hallengren said in a press conference.

Scientists say the new variant of coronavirus is about 40 per cent-70 per cent more transmissible than the original strain. Several other countries, including Australia, Italy, and the Netherlands say they detected cases of the new strain.

There is no evidence that vaccines currently being deployed - including one made by Pfizer and BioNtech - or other COVID-19 shots in development will not protect against this variant.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock was the first one to announce the identification of a new variant of coronavirus on December 20. Now, as his government has announced a Tier 4 lockdown in the country, Hancock has justified the move by revealing the extent of danger the new variant poses.

Talking about the new and stricter lockdown in south-eastern England during the Christmas time, Hancock said the decision was needed to control the worsening situation as the new variant was "out of control".

Authorities cautioned that the drop may be due to less testing done over the weekend and the Christmas holiday, and said on Sunday they would be extending social distancing measures until early January.