Travelers wearing protective masks arrive at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday. On Sunday, Israel approved an entry ban for foreign nationals as part of efforts to prevent a new coronavirus variant.
Ariel Schalit / AP
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Ariel Schalit / AP
Travelers wearing protective masks arrive at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday. On Sunday, Israel approved an entry ban for foreign nationals as part of efforts to prevent a new coronavirus variant.
Ariel Schalit / AP
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The Netherlands confirmed 13 new cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus on Sunday, and Australia found two as countries halfway around the world became the latest to detect it. in travelers from southern Africa.
Countries around the world imposing a barrage of restrictive measures as they scramble to slow the spread of the variant have also increased, with Israel deciding to ban entry of foreign nationals in a move Hardest to date.
Confirmed or suspected cases of new variation appeared in several European countries, in Israel and in Hong Kong, just days after it was identified by researchers in South Africa. The “act first, question later” approach reflects growing alarm about the emergence of a more contagious variant over the past two years into a pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people. people, lives are lost and economies are disrupted globally.
While much remains to be learned about the new variant, the researchers are concerned that it could be more resistant to the protection provided by the vaccine and could mean the pandemic lasts longer than anticipated. .
The Dutch public health authority confirmed that 13 people arriving from South Africa on Friday have so far tested positive for omicrons. They were among 61 people who tested positive for the virus after arriving on the last two flights to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport before the flight ban was implemented. They were immediately placed in isolation, mostly at a nearby hotel, while sequencing was carried out.
Australian authorities say two foreign visitors to Sydney from Africa have become the first in the country to test positive for the omicron variant. Guests arriving from nine African countries are now required to isolate in hotels upon arrival. Two German states reported a total of three cases of returning travelers over the weekend.
Israel moves bans entry of foreigners and imposes quarantine on all Israelis arriving from abroad.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting: “Restricting the country’s borders is not an easy step, but it is a temporary and necessary step.
Travelers walk with their luggage at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday.
Ariel Schalit / AP
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Ariel Schalit / AP
Travelers walk with their luggage at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday.
Ariel Schalit / AP
Dr Ran Balicer, head of the government’s advisory panel on COVID-19, told Israeli public radio Kan that new measures were needed for the “fog of war” surrounding the new variant, said that “it is better to act early and strictly” to prevent its spread.
Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said he had asked his country’s public health institute for advice on whether further travel restrictions were needed, but he said he wanted to coordinate with our European Union partners because “I think those are really the steps that we’re going to have to take. let’s go together.”
Many countries have restricted or banned travel from various South African countries – the latest of which are New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Saudi Arabia. Places that have imposed restrictions include Brazil, Canada, the EU, Iran and the US. This goes against the advice of the World Health Organization, which has warned of any overreaction before the variant has been thoroughly studied.
The South African government has reacted angrily to the travel bans, which it says is “like punishing South Africa for its advanced genetic sequencing and ability to detect new variants more quickly.” It said it would try to convince the countries that had imposed them to reconsider.
“While we respect the right of all countries to take the necessary precautions to protect their citizens, we need to remember that this pandemic requires expert cooperation and sharing. subject,” the Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, said in a statement. .
America’s top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said he wouldn’t be surprised if the omicron variant was present in the United States, although it has yet to be detected there.
In Europe, much of which has struggled with a sharp rise in cases in recent weeks, officials have also been wary.
The UK on Saturday tightened mask-wearing regulations and tested international arrivals after two omicron cases were found. Spain has announced it will no longer accept unvaccinated British visitors starting December 1.
Italy is reviewing the list of air passengers who have arrived in the past two weeks after a business traveler returning from Mozambique and landing in Rome on 11 November tested positive for omicrons. The Lazio region’s top health official, Alessio D’Amato, said that “control measures at airports, ports and train stations have been strengthened.”
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said that although his country has no confirmed cases, “it is likely that there are currently circulating cases.”
While it remains unclear how existing vaccines work against the omicron variant, Veran said France has not changed its strategy to combat the latest wave of infections caused by the delta variant, which has focused on the delta variant. the promotion of vaccinations and immunizations.
David Hui, a respiratory medicine expert and government adviser on pandemics in Hong Kong, said although it is unclear whether the current coronavirus vaccine is effective against the new variant, vaccination rates of the city should be increased and the dosage fortification should be taken as soon as possible.
He said that two people who tested positive for the omicron variant had been injected with BioNTech-Pfizer and had very mild symptoms, such as a sore throat.
“Vaccines should work, but there will be some reduction in effectiveness,” he said.
