Spain to increase travel restrictions in light of new travel restrictions
Indice
Foreign nationals who cannot enter the United States because they have been in one of the eight countries within the previous 14 days will again be allowed to travel on U.S.-bound flights departing after 12:01 a.m. ET on Dec. 31, a senior official said. confirming a Reuters report.
Top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said Monday that the restrictions are likely to be lifted “because we have enough infection in our own country … We are allowing in people from other countries that have as much or more infection than southern Africa.”
More countries impose travel restrictions for the variant
Johannesburg, Nov 28 (EFE) – The president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, urged Sunday all countries that imposed travel restrictions to southern Africa by the detection of the omicron variant to “urgently reverse their decisions” because they have no “scientific justification”.
For the president, the restrictions are “unjustified” and “unfairly discriminate” against southern African nations, in addition to the fact that “they will not be effective in preventing the spread of this variant”.
“Instead of banning travel, the rich countries of the world must support the efforts of developing economies to access and manufacture sufficient doses of vaccines for their people without delay,” the South African president stressed.
“We are aware that the introduction of such measures is a difficult and complex issue, but if we do not address this seriously and urgently, we will continue to be vulnerable to new variants and will continue to suffer new waves of infections,” he argued.
The discovery of this new variant of the coronavirus, identified as B.1.1.529 and christened with the Greek letter omicron by the World Health Organization (WHO), was announced last Thursday by South African scientists and health authorities, based on samples taken between November 14 and 16.
South Africa demands lifting of travel restrictions for
Travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Esuatini (formerly Swaziland), Mozambique and Malawi are currently banned from entering U.S. territory, a decision announced Nov. 26 “out of extreme caution,” the White House recalls.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease expert, said Monday that the lifting of the restrictions was because “we have enough infections in our own country…. We’re letting in people from other countries that have as much or more infection than countries in southern Africa.”
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration came under a barrage of criticism for imposing and maintaining these travel restrictions affecting only southern Africa despite the new variant of the coronavirus spreading at great speed around the world.
U.S. bans travel from South Africa and other countries in the world
U.S. President Joe Bien issued a presidential proclamation Tuesday revoking a travel ban on eight southern African countries in response to the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in an attempt to contain its arrival.
The presidential proclamation repeals the ban as of 00.01 a.m. on December 31. The restrictions were imposed last November and banned entry to travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Esuatini, Mozambique and Malawi.
The restrictions on travel to southern Africa, imposed by several countries, have been widely criticized in the international community, including by the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, although the Biden Administration had repeatedly defended this measure.