A new variant of the coronavirus, which appears to be more transmissible, has been discovered in South Africa and is being blamed for a new surge in COVID-19 cases there.
South Africa's health minister, Zweli Mkhize, said that the new variant there appeared to be linked to higher rates of severe illness in younger people, and that scientists are working to learn more about it.
Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia are among countries that have stopped flights to and from South Africa.
As more information comes out about these new variants and, in different countries, as governments announce their plans to respond, people might be slightly confused about how intense their reaction should be to this. Some people are saying viruses mutate all the time, this is not unusual. But also we're hearing that it's much more transmissible.
