MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain on Tuesday extended for another two weeks a ban on people entering from the UK by air or sea because of concerns over the new strain of the coronavirus detected there.

The entry restriction, which does not apply to Spanish nationals and those with legal residency in Spain, will remain in effect until February 2, the Spanish government said in a statement.

Like most European nations, Spain imposed the entry restrictions on December 22 following the discovery in Britain of a new strain of the coronavirus thought to be more contagious.

The restriction, initially put in place for two weeks, was already renewed once for a similar period.

The government said it had decided to extend it again because of “some uncertainties over the reach of the new strain” of the coronavirus, the statement said.

“The epidemiological situation in the United Kingdom has progressively worsened,” it said.

At the same time there has been an increase in Spain in cases “linked to the new strain”, the statement added.

The new strain of the virus, whose discovery set off alarm bells worldwide, appears to spread more easily than other types but experts say there is no evidence it is more lethal or resistant to vaccines.

About 70 cases of the variant have been detected in Spain, according to the latest health ministry figures.