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SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR LIFTING OF OMICRON TRAVEL BANS
Cyril Ramaphosa says journey restrictions ‘scientifically unjustified’ as extra nations report instances of recent, extremely mutated variant.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has referred to as on nations to “urgently” reverse “scientifically unjustified” journey restrictions linked to the invention of a brand new variant of the coronavirus.
His feedback on Sunday got here because the extremely mutated variant – dubbed Omicron – continued spreading around the globe, with new instances recognized within the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia.
Dozens of nations have blacklisted South Africa and its neighbours since South African scientists this week flagged the brand new variant. The World Well being Group (WHO) has designated Omicron a “variant of concern” that’s probably extra contagious than earlier variants.
“We name upon all these nations which have imposed journey bans on our nation and our southern African sister nations to instantly and urgently reverse their choices,” Ramaphosa stated, in his first deal with to the nation because the detection of Omicron.
“The prohibition of journey just isn’t knowledgeable by science,” he added.
“The one factor the prohibition on journey will do is to additional injury the economies of the affected nations and undermine their means to reply to, and recuperate from, the pandemic,” he added.
“These restrictions are unjustified and unfairly discriminate towards our nation and our southern African sister nations.”
The abrupt grounding of flights has spooked South Africa’s important tourism trade, with reserving cancellations rising instantly following the announcement. The nation’s tourism sector misplaced $10bn in bookings in 2020 due to a drop in international guests, and is estimated to lose about $10m each week flights are suspended from key abroad vacationer markets.
Reporting from Johannesburg, Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller stated there had been “a big quantity of frustration” amongst authorities officers and members of the scientific neighborhood over the journey curbs.
“There’s a variety of concern round what these journey restrictions will imply [economically] for southern Africa as a area, particularly forward of the vacation interval, when hundreds of holiday makers from Europe are anticipated,” she stated. “Plenty of anger from the president and the federal government across the good work, they are saying, scientists have been doing on genome sequencing and likewise tracing COVID-19 modifications, however as an alternative South Africa being punished.”
Praising South Africa for informing the United Nations’ well being company as quickly as its nationwide laboratory recognized the Omicron variant, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s regional director for Africa, additionally criticised journey curbs and referred to as on nations to comply with science and worldwide well being laws as a way to keep away from such measures.
“Journey restrictions could play a job in barely decreasing the unfold of COVID-19 however place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods,” Moeti stated in an announcement. “If restrictions are applied, they shouldn’t be unnecessarily invasive or intrusive, and must be scientifically primarily based, in response to the Worldwide Well being Rules, which is a legally binding instrument of worldwide legislation recognised by over 190 nations.
Shabir Madhi, a South African vaccinologist, informed Al Jazeera it was “naive” for nations “to consider they will cease the unfold of this variant with a blanket ban on nations in southern Africa”.
“The virus has already discovered its method into these societies from people that haven’t even travelled to or come into contact with anybody from southern Africa,” he stated. “In South Africa, we’ve one of many globe’s finest COVID sequencing capacities primarily based on our expertise with treating HIV and TB. Now we have been forward of the sport for some time now and we’re thus a sufferer of our success.”
Whereas scientists are nonetheless assessing Omicron’s virulence, the WHO stated on Sunday it was “not but clear” whether or not the variant spreads extra simply from individual to individual, or whether or not an infection with the variant causes extra extreme illness in contrast with different strains.
“There’s at present no info to recommend that signs related to Omicron are totally different from these from different variants,” the company stated.
Whereas preliminary proof suggests there could also be an elevated danger of people that beforehand had COVID-19 being reinfected with Omicron, info is at present restricted.
The WHO stated PCR exams proceed to detect an infection with Omicron, including it was working to know the potential results of the variant on current countermeasures, together with vaccines.
In his deal with, Ramaphosa stated the “strongest device” to restrict its transmission was the vaccine and urged South Africans to get jabbed.
He stated the federal government was contemplating making vaccines necessary for sure actions and areas in a bid to extend uptake.
Nearly 35 p.c of adults in South Africa have been totally inoculated because of a gradual begin to its vaccine marketing campaign and widespread hesitancy.
The nation is the worst virus-hit in Africa, with some 2.9 million instances and 89,797 deaths reported so far.
Omicron is believed to be fuelling an increase in infections, with 1,600 new instances recorded on common up to now seven days in contrast with 500 the earlier week.
SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR LIFTING OF OMICRON TRAVEL BANS
