The UK ban on travel from South America has come into force, with the transport secretary describing it as a precautionary decision to tackle a potential new variant of the CCP virus that emerged in Brazil. The new travel ban, which also includes Portugal, was announced on Thursday afternoon by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and came into force at 4 a.m. this morning. The ban does not apply to British or Irish Nationals or people with UK residency rights. Shapps said the decision was taken “following evidence of a new variant in Brazil.” That variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, has raised concerns among some scientists due to similarities to a variant in South Africa. Explaining the decision on Friday, Shapps said it was a precautionary approach, and also noted that there have been no flights from Brazil in the last week …