Al Jazeera :
A new variant of the coronavirus has prompted several countries to impose restrictions such as travel bans, while others have renewed lockdowns over the Omicron strain. The new restrictions come after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new Covid-19 variant to be “of concern”.
The Omicron variant, which scientists say has a high number of mutations, was first detected in South Africa last week and has spread rapidly through the province of Gauteng, home to the economic hub Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria. It has so far been detected in at least four other countries.
Also known as B.1.1.529, the mutations could help the virus evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible, according to scientists.
It could take weeks to know if current vaccines are less effective against it.
In response to the variant’s discovery, the United States, Canada, Russia and a host of other countries joined the European Union in restricting travel for visitors from several southern African countries.
A minister in the German state of Hesse said that the Omicron COVID variant had very probably arrived in Germany.
“Last night several Omicron-typical mutations were found in a traveller returning from South Africa,” tweeted Kai Klose, social affairs minister in the western German state that is home to Frankfurt airport.
He added that a full sequencing of the variant was being carried out.
Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller, reporting from Johannesburg, said South Africa’s leaders are trying to reverse the travel bans, which many scientists regard as being unnecessary.
“That outcry comes specifically from scientists and the government in South Africa who have certainly been frustrated in the last 24-hours, saying that simply because South Africa has done its work and been transparent [in presenting its findings], now South Africa is being punished by being put on the red list. [They say] it is unjustified and it has created unnecessary panic,” she said.
“There is concern about the impact that these bans will have on South Africa – especially given the difficulty the economy has gone through throughout this pandemic and ahead of the holiday season when travellers come from Europe and the United Kingdom and bring in millions of dollars worth of revenue.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told officials to review plans to ease travel restrictions as concerns rise over the new variant. The world’s second-worst affected country by the pandemic had only Friday decided to resume international passenger flights from countries deemed “at risk” of the coronavirus, while ordering tightened border screening.
