A young woman reacts as she receives Pfizer’s stab at COVID-19, in the town of Diepsloot near Johannesburg on Thursday, October 21, 2021.
Denis Farrell / AP
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Denis Farrell / AP
A young woman reacts as she receives Pfizer’s stab at COVID-19, in the town of Diepsloot near Johannesburg on Thursday, October 21, 2021.
Denis Farrell / AP
BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Union on Friday said it was planning to halt air travel from southern Africa to combat the spread of the new COVID-19 variant as the 27-nation bloc is facing a sudden increase in the number of cases.
“The last thing we need is to bring in a new variant that could cause even more problems,” said German Health Minister Jens Spahn.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement that she “suggests, in close coordination with member states, to activate the emergency brake to prevent air travel from southern Europe. Fly.”
A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is of concern because of the high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.
Germany said von der Leyen’s proposal could be enacted as soon as Friday night. Spahn said airlines returning from South Africa would only be able to transport German nationals home and travelers would have to undergo a 14-day quarantine whether or not they have been vaccinated.
Germany has seen a new record daily number of cases in recent days and surpassed the 100,000 mark of COVID-19 deaths on Thursday.
The fourth spike in the coronavirus is hitting 27 EU countries hard, with governments trying to tighten restrictions in an attempt to stem the spread. The no-fly proposal comes after similar action from Britain on Thursday.
The UK has announced that it is banning flights from South Africa and five other South African countries effective Friday noon and anyone new to those countries will be required to take a coronavirus test.
UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said there were concerns the new variant “may be more transmissible” than the delta-dominant strain and that “the vaccine we currently have may be less effective”. ” to fight it.
Coronaviruses evolve as it spreads, and many new variants, including those with worrisome mutations, often die off. Scientists watch for possible changes that could be more contagious or deadly, but sorting out whether new variants have an impact on public health could take time.
Now identified as B.1.1.529, the new variant has also been found in Botswana and Hong Kong for travelers from South Africa, he said.
The World Health Organization’s technical working group will meet on Friday to evaluate the new variant and possibly decide whether to name it from the Greek alphabet.
The World Health Organization says coronavirus infections have increased by 11% in Europe over the past week, the only region in the world where COVID-19 has continued to rise. WHO’s Europe director, Dr Hans Kluge, warned that without urgent measures, the continent could see 700,000 more deaths by spring.
The EU emergency braking mechanism has been set up to deal with such emergencies.
In the event that the epidemiological situation of a third country or region rapidly deteriorates, especially if a variant of concern or concern has been detected, Member States should adopt a emergency, temporary restrictions on all travel into the EU. This emergency brake should not apply to EU citizens, permanent EU residents and certain categories of essential travelers, however, these people are subject to appropriate testing and quarantine measures, even if have been fully vaccinated.
Such restrictions should be reviewed at least every two weeks.
