Government restricts flights with southern Africa until 15
Indice
Travel to and in Europe is becoming increasingly difficult for tourists, particularly those from the UK where cases have skyrocketed. France has banned all non-essential visitors to and from the UK.
First announced by South African health authorities in late November, the variant has caused several travel bans in southern African nations. The CDC placed seven southern African nations on Level 4 on Nov. 27 specifically because of omicron (an eighth nation, Botswana, was already on Level 4). All of those nations remained at Level 4 on Monday.
Note: The information provided on this page is intended for persons traveling abroad and to U.S. territories. For information on Zika in U.S. states, visit Zika-risk areas. For the most up-to-date information on Zika virus, visit CDC’s Zika website.
Because Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects, pregnant women should not travel to the areas listed below. Partners of pregnant women and couples seeking to conceive should be aware of the risks to pregnancy and take preventive measures. All travelers should strictly follow measures to avoid mosquito bites and prevent sexual transmission during and after travel.
Zika was previously detected in the locations on this list; however, scientists have determined that the virus is no longer present. This means that all travelers, including pregnant women, can visit these destinations without risk of contracting Zika virus from mosquitoes. If some of these countries or territories are again at risk for Zika, CDC will remove them from the list and post updated information. Please check this page for the most up-to-date information before planning your travel.
Traveling to Africa in the time of Covid, we tell you all about it!
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 on November 26 “out of extreme caution,” recalls the White House.
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.
South Africa demands lifting of travel restrictions for
Addis Ababa, Nov 26 (EFE) – The African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC, an agency of the African Union, AU) today “strongly” rejected the imposition of travel bans and restrictions on travel to southern African countries due to the detection of a new variant of the highly mutated coronavirus.
“Indeed, during this pandemic we have observed that imposing travel bans on travelers from countries where a new variant is reported has not produced a significant result,” stressed this health institution.
The agency also recalled that vaccines remain the best defense and called on laboratories and researchers in the region to closely monitor the possible presence of this new variant.
“Member States should immediately notify Africa CDC if any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 is identified,” the message underlines, issued after countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy or Germany announced travel bans and restrictions.