Omicron variant: South Africa calls for lifting of travel restrictions
Passengers line up to leave South Africa at Johannesburg International Airport on November 26, 2021. AP - Jerome Delay
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
President Cyril Ramaphosa called on Sunday evening, November 28, the countries which have imposed travel restrictions on South Africans, after the detection of a new variant of the coronavirus, to their "
immediate and urgent lifting
", deeming them devoid of "
scientific justification
".
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These restrictions are "
ineffective
" and have "
no scientific justification
". These border closures represent a form of
"
discrimination against our country
"
, denounces the South African president. Cyril Ramaphosa is angry and he lets it be known to each of the countries which are closing themselves off from South Africa. He did not hesitate to name them one by one to better confront them with their responsibilities. “
We are deeply disappointed. We call on all countries that restrict travel to urgently reverse their decisions before these measures cause further damage to our economies and the incomes of our populations.
"
►
To read also: Covid-19: a new variant detected in South Africa
Cyril Ramaphosa asks South Africans not to panic, reports our correspondent in Johannesburg,
Romain Chanson
.
“
We have to live with this pandemic,
” he warns.
The Head of State recalls that the solution is vaccination, while scratching in the process, developed countries.
“
Instead of banning travel, rich countries should rather - without delay - support the efforts of developing countries to access and produce enough doses of vaccines for the benefit of their populations.
"
Referring to the steady rise in recent days in the number of new confirmed cases, especially in the Johannesburg and Pretoria region, he confirmed that the country was heading for a fourth wave "
in the coming weeks, if not sooner
". But far from being inevitable, "
we have a powerful tool, it's called vaccination,
" the president strongly recalled. He called on "
everyone who has not yet been vaccinated to do so without delay
" and to motivate those around them to do the same. "
Too many people still express doubts
."
Instead of prohibiting travel, the rich countries of the world need to support the efforts of developing economies to access and to manufacture enough vaccine doses for their people without delay.https: //t.co/EpfT062cmt
- Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) November 28, 2021
It is not only a question of protecting oneself but also "
to reduce the pressure on the systems and personnel of health
", he added, affirming that a team dedicated to the government planked on the assumption of establishing "
compulsory vaccination for certain activities and in certain places
”. "
It would be a difficult and complex measure
" but if we do not act "
with seriousness and a certain urgency
", South Africans will remain "
vulnerable to new variants
", he warned.
WHO has joined the South African President's call to let the borders remain open. "
The World Health Organization stands alongside African countries and calls for borders to remain open,
" the organization said in a statement, calling on countries to "
adopt a scientific approach," based on " risk assessment
”. Several neighboring countries, also affected, denounced these measures during the day, the President of Malawi even going so far as to deem them "
afrophobic
".
These viruses have no borders, they do not know our borders so they will continue to circulate.
We really need a concerted measure, between scientists, public authorities, institutions, decision-makers ...
Dr Thierno Baldé, Head of COVID-19 Response Operations for the WHO Africa Office
Victor Mauriat
►
To read also: Covid: the Omicron variant is blowing a wind of panic on the planet
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South Africa
Cyril Ramaphosa
Coronavirus