Hong Kong will ban all flights arriving from the United Kingdom at midnight on Monday because of the threat posed by the U.K.’s new coronavirus strain.

In announcing the ban on Monday, Hong Kong health minister Sophia Chan said inbound travelers who have stayed on British soil for two hours or more will not be allowed to enter the city. The ban includes Hong Kong citizens, she added.

This marks the first time Hong Kong has barred entry to travelers from any single country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Flights from the U.K. that have taken off before the midnight deadline, Hong Kong time, will be allowed to land in the city.

The restrictions came after London said on Sunday that the spread of a more infectious and more rapidly spreading new coronavirus strain had gone “out of control.”

The prohibition will be in effect until further notice, Chan told a press conference, adding that those who have returned from Britain after Dec. 7 are subject to an additional seven-day home quarantine on top of the existing 14-day compulsory quarantine.

“This is a very severe measure. The actual effect is equivalent to banning all passenger flights from the U.K. to Hong Kong,” Chan said.

“In the past, we have never imposed such stringent regulations on any region, but we believe that this time, the variant virus [strain] found in the U.K. has emerged so menacingly, it is necessary to stop this variant virus from spreading to Hong Kong from its source.”

Cargo flights from the U.K. are not affected by the ban. However, Hong Kong’s postal service has suspended airmail services to the U.K. because inbound flights are being stopped.

“Surface mail service is still available and members of the public may consider this service for posting items to the United Kingdom,” Hongkong Post said in a statement.

Director of health Constance Chan said that 28 of the  5,053 people returning from the U.K. between Dec. 1 and 20 had contracted COVID-19.

No genetic mutations have yet been found in the samples sent to the University of Hong Kong for genetic sequencing, she added.

Apart from Hong Kong, more than a dozen countries have banned flights and travelers from Britain over the new coronavirus strain, including Canada, Saudi Arabia, Chile and most of its European neighbors such as France, Germany and Italy.

Hong Kong recorded 85 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, 27 of which were of unknown source.

Sophia Chan said the current anti-epidemic measures would be extended until Jan. 6, while the Education Bureau has extended the suspension of face-to-face classes until at least Jan. 10 at all kindergartens, primary and secondary schools.

Dine-in service at restaurants is banned after 6 p.m., while eateries can only serve a maximum of two people per table.

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