DUBLIN, Dec 30 (Reuters) – Ireland on Wednesday extended a ban on travel to the country from the United Kingdom and South Africa until Jan. 6 due to the presence of a new more infectious variant of COVID-19, the government said in a statement.

Irish officials last week confirmed that the variant was also present in Ireland but that it was unclear how widespread it was. (Reporting by Conor Humphries Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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