South African foreign ministry objects to Omicron travel bans

naledi pandor
(Image credit: EDUARDO MUNOZ/POOL/AFP)

South Africa should not be "punished" for having the medical expertise that enabled its early detection of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, the country's Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement Saturday. South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor also expressed concerns that travel restrictions targeting South Africa and other southern African countries would negatively impact business and tourism, Reuters reports.

Dr. Angelique Coetzee, who chairs the South African Medical Association and was the first to alert public health authorities to Omicron's existence, told The Telegraph that the symptoms of the new strain she has observed have been "unusual but mild."

A World Health Organization spokesperson said Friday that "implementing travel measures is being cautioned against" and that countries should "apply a risk-based and scientific approach." The European Union has imposed travel bans aimed at slowing the spread of Omicron, as have the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and a host of other nations.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in the U.K., Germany, Italy, Australia, Israel, and other countries.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.