JOHANNESBURG — The World Well being Group on Sunday urged nations all over the world to not impose flight bans on southern African nations because of considerations over the brand new omicron variant.
WHO’s regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, known as on nations to observe science and worldwide well being rules with a view to keep away from utilizing journey restrictions.
“Journey restrictions could play a task in barely lowering the unfold of COVID-19 however place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods,” Moeti mentioned in a press release. “If restrictions are carried out, they shouldn’t be unnecessarily invasive or intrusive, and needs to be scientifically primarily based, in response to the Worldwide Well being Rules, which is a legally binding instrument of worldwide legislation acknowledged by over 190 nations.”
Moeti praised South Africa for following worldwide well being rules and informing WHO as quickly as its nationwide laboratory recognized the omicron variant.
“The velocity and transparency of the South African and Botswana governments in informing the world of the brand new variant is to be recommended,” mentioned Moeti. “WHO stands with African nations which had the braveness to boldly share life-saving public well being info, serving to shield the world in opposition to the unfold of COVID-19.”
Instances of the omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in nations on reverse sides of the world Sunday and plenty of governments rushed to shut their borders at the same time as scientists cautioned that it’s not clear if the brand new variant is extra alarming than different variations of the virus.
Whereas investigations proceed into the omicron variant, WHO recommends that every one nations “take a risk-based and scientific strategy and put in place measures which may restrict its potential unfold.”
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the Nationwide Institutes of Well being in america, emphasised that there is no such thing as a knowledge but that implies the brand new variant causes extra severe sickness than earlier COVID-19 variants.
“I do suppose it’s extra contagious, if you take a look at how quickly it unfold by a number of districts in South Africa,” Collins mentioned on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Israel determined to bar entry to foreigners, and Morocco mentioned it could droop all incoming flights for 2 weeks beginning Monday — among the many most drastic of a rising raft of journey curbs being imposed as nations scrambled to sluggish the variant’s unfold. Scientists in a number of locations — from Hong Kong to Europe — have confirmed its presence. The Netherlands reported 13 omicron circumstances on Sunday, and Australia discovered two.
The U.S. plans to ban journey from South Africa and 7 different southern African nations beginning Monday.
“With the omicron variant now detected in a number of areas of the world, putting in journey bans that focus on Africa assaults international solidarity,” mentioned Moeti. “COVID-19 consistently exploits our divisions. We are going to solely get the higher of the virus if we work collectively for options.”
WHO mentioned it scaling up its help for genomic sequencing in Africa so sequencing laboratories have entry to enough human assets and testing reagents to work at full capability. WHO additionally mentioned is able to provide further assist, reinforcing COVID-19 responses together with surveillance, therapy, an infection prevention and group engagement in southern African nations, it mentioned.