New Covid variant triggers alert: World prepares to go into shell, again

UK, EU apply travel restrictions ; don't be hasty, says WHO

More countries were tightening their travel restrictions after a new coronavirus variant was identified in southern Africa earlier this week.

This even as the World Health Organisation (WHO) cautioned governments against hastily imposing travel restrictions linked to the new B.1.1.529 variant, saying they should take a “risk-based and scientific approach”. On the other hand, the UN’s tourism body said countries need to decide swiftly on applying travel restrictions and make such rules uniform.

The UK's health authorities have confirmed that the new and “most significant” variant of Covid-19 is officially under investigation in the country. The country  – where no case of the new mutation has been detected, so far — applied travel restrictions on arrivals from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia starting Friday.

Echoing the UK’s view, the European Union’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, called on for a suspension of air travel connection to places where the new coronavirus variant has been detected. Belgium has detected the first case of the new variant in Europe.

By Friday night, Italy imposed an entry ban on people who have visited any one of eight southern African states in the last 14 days. The 27-nation EU is already battling rising daily Covid cases.

But Anthony Fauci, US President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said more scientific data was needed about the new variant before his country could determine whether to halt flights from southern African countries. 

The latest coronavirus variant is the most heavily mutated version discovered, so far. First identified in South Africa at the start of this week, the strain has already spread to neighbouring countries, including Botswana, where it has been reportedly detected in fully vaccinated people.

Israel, too, has identified its first case of the new variant (two more people are under investigation) and barred travel from most African countries. 

As the variant triggered an alert across the world, the WHO convened a closed-door meeting of experts in to assess the variant B.1.1.529 and designate it as either a variant of interest or a variant of concern, spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said. “At this point, implementing travel measures is being cautioned against.”