Passengers arrive in Rome on last flight from London

Italy announced on Sunday that the country is suspending flights from Britain "to protect Italians" from the new coronavirus variant. Health Minister confirmed in a press statement he had signed a measure to block flights from the UK.

It was not immediately clear when it would take effect but flights scheduled to arrive in Rome Fiumicino airport on Sunday were allowed to land. More than 327,000 Italian citizens are registered as living in Britain. Sunday is the last day that Italians can travel from one region to another ahead of the Christmas holidays, due to a new partial lockdown imposed by the government to prevent a new surge in infections.

Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria followed Italy in announcing restrictions on U.K. travel, hours after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Christmas shopping and gatherings in southern England must be canceled because of rapidly spreading infections blamed on the new coronavirus variant.