US, Canada follow EU to ban flights from Southern Africa

The US has imposed a travel ban on South Africa and seven other countries from Southern Africa over the new COVID-19 variant.

Only US citizens and residents will be able to enter the country from the region. The United Kingdom and European Union had already restricted travel from the Southern African countries.

Flights from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, and Lesotho will be blocked from Monday onwards.

Now that the World has finally decided to take preemptive measures against this new variant, Canada too has decided to impose a ban.

Canada will be banning all foreign nationals who went to South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Lesotho in the last 14 days from entering the country.

At the moment, Malawi has been left out from this travel ban by Canada.

The WHO held an emergency meeting on Friday over variant B.1.1.529, and they named it Omicron after it was judged to be of great “concern.”

Omicron, or B.1.1.529

Omicron was first reported in South Africa on November 24. It was described by scientists to be of great concern because of how fast it was spreading.

It is no longer restricted to Africa and is feared to have spread to most regions in the World by now. Cases have been reported in Belgium, Israel, and Hong Kong.

Omicron is “highly transmissible” and has about 50 mutations. The COVID-19 vaccines available are feared to be ineffective against this new variant as they were based on the original’s spike protein.

As Omicron comes with about 30 mutations on the spike protein, it is considered to sneak through undetected by the immune response developed by the vaccines.

The World is now trying to contain the virus to where it was first found, but South Africa’s health experts have already declared that it is already too late, and travel bans will not stop the variant’s spread.

As Omicron is no longer restricted to Africa, it may already be too late and countries may soon move towards lockdowns or strict mask, and vaccine mandates.

Even global stock markets are feeling the heat of Omicron. The airline industry is going downhill once again as investors are now anticipating stricter measures and selling their stocks.

The World is already battling a supply chain crisis, if Omicron isn’t contained then the crisis may worsen. African countries may lose access to vital supplies if they fail to contain the spread early on.

Private companies will be unwilling to send shipping containers and cargo planes there.

The next few weeks are considered to be vital as they will determine whether the vaccines are ineffective against Omicron. Christmas is once again being spoiled by COVID.