South Africa’s president has slammed travel bans imposed on his country and its neighbors in response to the new coronavirus variant Omicron.
Cyril Ramaphosa said he was “deeply disappointed” by the action, which he called unjustified, and demanded that the bans be lifted immediately.
The United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States have all imposed travel bans.
Omicron is classified as a “variant of concern.” Early evidence suggests that it has a higher risk of re-infection.
The heavily mutated variant was discovered earlier this month in South Africa and reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) last Wednesday.
The variant is responsible for the majority of infections discovered in South Africa’s most populous province, Gauteng, in the last two weeks, and the number of cases “appears to be increasing in almost all provinces,” according to the WHO.
On Sunday, South Africa reported 2,800 new infections, an increase from the previous week’s daily average of 500.
Salim Abdool Karim, a government adviser, and epidemiologist predicted that the number of cases would exceed 10,000 per day by the end of the week and that hospitals would be overburdened in the next two to three weeks.
However, Health Minister Joe Phaahla stated that there is “absolutely no need to panic.”
“We’ve been here before,” he added, referring to the Beta variant discovered in South Africa in December of last year.
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Japan became the latest country to reintroduce strict border controls on Monday, prohibiting all foreigners from entering the country beginning November 30.
The WHO has warned countries against imposing travel restrictions too quickly, advising them to take a “risk-based and scientific approach.”
Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Africa director, stated on Sunday, “With the Omicron variant now detected in several regions of the world, imposing travel bans that target Africa attacks global solidarity.”
However, a number of bans have been imposed in recent days, with Rwanda and Angola among the African countries limiting flights to and from South Africa.
Clayson Monyela, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, described their decision as “quite regrettable, very unfortunate, and even sad.”
Mr. Ramaphosa stated in his speech on Sunday that there was no scientific basis for the travel bans and that southern Africa was subjected to unfair discrimination.
He also contended that the bans would be ineffective in halting the spread of the variant.
He urged countries that have implemented bans to “urgently reverse their decisions… before any further damage is done to our economies.”
South Africa, according to Mr. Ramaphosa, will not impose new restrictions, but will “conduct broad consultations on making vaccination mandatory for specific activities and locations.”
In South Africa, face coverings are required in public, and indoor gatherings are limited to 750 people and outdoor gatherings to 2,000.
There are no vaccine shortages in South Africa, and Mr. Ramaphosa urged more people to get vaccinated, saying it was the most effective way to combat the virus.
According to health experts, Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg, has entered a fourth wave, with unvaccinated people making up the majority of hospital admissions.
Omicron has now been detected in a number of countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Israel.
In the Netherlands, Omicron was found in 13 people who arrived on two flights from South Africa. • Separately, Dutch police said they detained a couple who had escaped from a quarantined hotel. According to the Dutch newspaper Het Parool, the Spanish man and Portuguese woman were apprehended on a plane bound for Spain.
Beginning at midnight Sunday, Israel barred all foreigners from entering the country for 14 days.
On Monday, the United Kingdom called an emergency meeting of the G7 group of nations to discuss the new variant.
According to preliminary results, Swiss voters supported the government’s Covid-fighting measures
