SAGE experts 'tried to get No10 to close borders WEEKS ago over South African variant' Minutes from a SAGE meeting on January 21 revealed how it urged the government to close Britain's borders They also warned geographical travel bans would not work in preventing the spread of South African variant News comes as it was revealed that officials will go door to door to test people in eight areas in England Officials will take swabs in Woking, Walsall, as well as parts of London, Kent, Hertfordshire and Lancashire Public Health England has already spotted 105 cases of the B.1.351 variant, as it is known, across the country