Fears grew Saturday that a highly dangerous new coronavirus strain was making its way into Europe, as countries around the world closed their borders to stop the new Omicron variation from spreading.
New cases are suspected in Germany and the Czech Republic, while Dutch officials have confined 61 South African travelers who tested positive for Covid-19.
South Africa claimed it was being “punished” with air travel bans for being the first to detect the strain, which the WHO has classified as a “variant of concern.”
Fearing a huge setback to global efforts to combat the pandemic, Australia and Thailand joined the United States, Brazil, Canada, and a slew of other countries in banning travel from the region.
Scientists are racing to see if the extensively modified strain, which is more transmissible than the prevailing Delta type, poses a threat, and if it can elude existing vaccines.
Anxious passengers thronged Johannesburg International Airport, trying to board the remaining flights to nations whose travel bans had been imposed unexpectedly. Many people had shortened their vacations and raced back from South African safaris and wineries.
With passports in hand, British tourist David Good told AFP: “It’s ludicrous; we’ll always have new kinds.” “South Africa discovered it, but it’s most likely already all over the world.”
