England's S. Africa variant COVID cases likely linked to travellers, health official says

Cases in England of the South African coronavirus variant, which are not directly linked to travel, probably came from people who were asymptomatic when they entered Britain rather than a broader infection, Public Health England said on Monday.

"These cases do not appear linked at the moment. They are in quite separate parts of the country, and they're more likely to be related to somebody who potentially had asymptomatic infection when they came in from abroad," Susan Hopkins, a top official at Public Health England, said at a news conference.

"We are looking to find extra cases in the community to see where we can find links, and to try and close down and eliminate the transmission between people."

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