Because of a new COVID variation, the European Union has agreed to prohibit aviation traffic from South Africa and numerous neighboring countries. Travel from the region is prohibited in several other countries.
According to the Slovenian EU presidency, all 27 European member states decided on Friday to temporarily prohibit travel from seven southern African countries due to the outbreak of a new coronavirus type.
The Slovenian president of the EU said on Twitter that a committee of health experts “decided on the need to activate the emergency break and impose temporary restrictions on all travel into the EU from southern Africa.”
It comes after the European Commission proposed triggering the bloc’s shared coronavirus travel restrictions’ “emergency brake” earlier on Friday. Within hours, member states had agreed to the measure.
According to diplomatic sources, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe are among the countries affected.
The appearance of the novel B.1.1.529 coronavirus type, dubbed omicron by the WHO, in South Africa has generated international worry, with a growing list of countries announcing travel restrictions in the region.
South Africa slammed the travel restrictions, calling them “draconian,” “unscientific,” and “against WHO guidelines.” At a press conference, Health Minister Joe Phaahla said that South Africa was acting transparently and that travel bans were against the WHO’s principles and guidelines, which had convened an emergency meeting to discuss the variation.
