WARNS OF NEW OMICRON VARIANT, SHUTDOWNS OF
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The cascade of country restrictions began Thursday night when the United Kingdom announced it would temporarily suspend flights from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
Singapore has opted to ban entry to all non-residents from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, while returning nationals and permanent residents from any of these countries will be required to spend 10 days at home. Malaysia has also taken similar measures.
Meanwhile, Germany plans to declare South Africa a “virus variant area” as of Friday night, which will mean that airlines will only be able to enter from the country to repatriate German nationals.
The United States will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries as of Monday. Following advice from Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Biden administration will restrict travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.
Joe Biden announced travel restrictions for
In Malta, travel to and from regions with identified cases of the variant will be temporarily banned from midnight Saturday, Chris Fearne, Malta’s deputy prime minister and health minister, said in a tweet Friday.
Israel recorded its first case of the new B.1,1,529 coronavirus variant and the country has announced that seven countries in southern Africa will be placed on a red list. This means that returnees from those countries must quarantine themselves in a designated hotel.
On Thursday night, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he had accepted the Health Ministry’s recommendations to place South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini on a new red list.
Travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Lesotho will have to remain in quarantine in government-provided facilities for 10 days from midnight local time on Saturday, November 27.
New strain: World begins to close borders
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government notified Friday that starting next Monday it will place restrictions on travelers from South Africa and seven other countries in southern Africa in the face of the emergence of a new variant of the coronavirus dubbed “omicron.”
“As a precautionary measure until we have more information, I am ordering additional air travel restrictions from South Africa and seven other countries,” President Joe Biden said in a statement sent by the White House.
The new restrictions will go into effect Nov. 29 and as information and knowledge of the omicron variant advances, Biden said, further decisions could be made based on what science and the medical team of advisors advise him.
President Biden made the decision after hearing suggestions from his chief medical advisor, Anthony Fauci, and officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Health Minister Sajid Javid also presented the measure to MPs, at the start of a parliamentary debate in which Boris Johnson’s government is seeking to win the backing of dozens of rebel lawmakers from his own party to approve new health measures against the spread of Mycron.Javid explained that the “red list” is being abolished because “it is now less effective in curbing the incursion of Mycron from abroad.” On Monday, the minister said the new variant already accounts for 20% of new cases in the country and 40% in London.Related topicsShare this storyView comments