Appearence of new strain in UK is a reminder that international travel is a bad idea during pandemic: Patty Hajdu

Health Minister Patty Hajdu says "the whole research community" is working on the newly detected strain of the virus that causes COVID-19.

They're trying to determine whether it's more of a threat to public health than the more familiar strains of the virus.

Hajdu says the appearance of the new strain in the United Kingdom is a reminder that international travel is a bad idea during the pandemic.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the new strain appears to spread much more easily.

The Canadian government temporarily shut down flights from the U.K. Sunday evening.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says Canada has some of the most stringent border-protection measures in the world and is considering even stricter controls.