(Adds details, background)
LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson has called senior ministers to an unscheduled meeting on
Friday evening to discuss how to contain a new, more virulent
variant of the coronavirus, The Telegraph newspaper reported.
An emergency toughening of COVID-19 restrictions could be
announced as soon as Saturday, possibly including restrictions
on travel between the southeast of England, including London,
and the rest of the country, the newspaper said.
A spokesman for the prime minister said he was unable to
comment on the report immediately.
Britain's government on Monday said a rise in new infections
might be partly linked to the new variant as it moved its
capital city and other areas into the highest tier of COVID-19
restrictions.
The Telegraph also reported on Friday that government
officials expected the AstraZeneca-Oxford University COVID-19
vaccine would clear regulatory approval on Dec. 28 or 29,
helping to accelerate the vaccination campaign.
Johnson said on Friday he hoped that England would not need
to go into a third lockdown after Christmas.
(Reporting by Aakriti Bhalla in Bengaluru
Writing by William Schomberg
Editing by Chris Reese and Jonathan Oatis)