Southern African Countries Denied Entry into the US, UK and EU, After New "Omicron" COVID-19 Variant Takes Over Region | by Hannah Uguru

In a rapidly evolving situation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a heavily mutated COVID variant, dubbed Omicron, which is considered to be a "variant of concern".

The extent of the new threat is unclear, but the EU, UK and US have all placed precautionary travel bans against many countries in southern Africa in light of an increasing number of cases in this region.

Six African countries have been added to the UK's red list, effective from midday last Friday, November 26. Travellers coming in from South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Namibia, and Botswana will be denied entry unless they are UK or Irish citizens or have UK residency.

South Africa's foreign ministry made a statement on Saturday criticising the travel bans, saying, "Excellent science should be applauded and not punished.

"[The bans are] akin to punishing South Africa for its advanced genomic sequencing and the ability to detect new variants quicker."

South Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, commented, "We are deeply disappointed by the decision of several countries to prohibit travel", urging for restrictions to be lifted.

African Union vaccine delivery alliance co-chair Ayoade Alajika also chimed in, telling the BBC that vaccine hoarding by economically advantaged countries was to blame for the new mutations.

"What is going on right now is inevitable. It's a result of the world's failure to vaccinate in an equitable, urgent and speedy manner. It is as a result of hoarding [of vaccines] by high-income countries of the world, and quite frankly, it is unacceptable.

"These travel bans are based in politics and not in science. It is wrong [...] Why are we locking away Africa when this virus is already on three continents?"

Only 24% of the population is vaccinated in South Africa, with even fewer in other Southern African countries.

Dr Angelique Coetzee, the South African Medical Association head, said the cases found in the country so far were not severe, referring to symptoms witnessed in patients as "so different and so mild from those I had treated before."