The Civil Aviation Administration of China announced the suspension of scheduled passenger flights between the Chinese mainland and the United Kingdom from Monday to avoid the spread of the new variant of the coronavirus.

The suspension will last until January 10, 2021.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin earlier on Thursday announced the suspension of flights to and from the UK due to the discovery of new virus strain. 

Wang said the move comes after a full assessment and taking into account the practices of other countries to protect the health of Chinese and foreign personnel.