Omicron: WHO criticises travel bans on African countries

The World Health Organization has urged countries across the world not to impose travel bans on southern African countries due to the ongoing concerns over the new Covid19 variant OmicronAsserting that WHO stands with African nations WHOs regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti called countries to follow science and international health regulations in order to avoid using travel restrictionsWHO stands with African nations amp calls for borders to remain open As countries impose flight bans on southern African nations due to concerns over the new OmicronVariant WHO urges countries to follow science amp health regulations she said in a tweetIn a statement WHOs regional office for Africa said Travel restrictions may play a role in slightly reducing the spread of Covid19 but place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoodsIf restrictions are implemented they should not be unnecessarily invasive or intrusive and should be scientifically based according to the International Health Regulations which is a legally binding instrument of international law recognised by over 190 nations it addedThe WHOs statement further stated that South Africa followed International Health Regulations and as soon as its national laboratory identified the Omicron variant on November 24The speed and transparency of the South African and Botswana governments in informing the world of the new variant is to be commended WHO stands with African countries which had the courage to boldly share lifesaving public health information helping protect the world against the spread of Covid19 it saidThe WHO on November 27 named the new Covid19 variant B11529 which has been detected in South Africa as OmicronThis variant has a large number of mutations some of which are concerning The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South AfricaBased on the evidence presented indicative of a detrimental change in Covid19 epidemiology the Technical Advisory Group on SARSCoV2 Virus Evolution TAGVE has advised the WHO that this variant should be designated as a VOC and the WHO has designated B11529 as a VOC named Omicron a statement saidThe Technical Advisory Group on SARSCoV2 Virus Evolution TAGVE is an independent group of experts that periodically monitors and evaluates the evolution of SARSCoV2 and assesses if specific mutations and combinations of mutations alter the behaviour of the virusMeanwhile the WHO has also raised alarm among countries after a new variant of Covid19 has been classified in South Africa the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health FOPH said in a statementAustria Canada France Germany Italy the Netherlands were among those that joined the United Kingdom in restricting flights from southern AfricaAlso Read South Africareturnee from Dombivli tests positive for Covid19This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever