Southern African countries angry over travel restrictions due to variant
Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg (file photo).
AFP PHOTO / Stéphane de Sakutin
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Several Southern African countries regret the travel restrictions imposed on travelers from this region, in particular by countries on the continent, after the announcement last Thursday of the discovery of the new variant of Covid-19, Omicron.
South Africa has already called for the restrictions to be lifted on several occasions.
The UN Secretary General is also worried about it.
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South Africa considers "
sad
" and "
regrettable
" the travel restrictions imposed, in particular by African countries, since the discovery of the new variant of Covid-19, Omicron, especially since "
some of the countries which do so know the difficulties for the continent when Europeans take such a decision,
”said the spokesperson for the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“
It’s unfortunate. Unfortunate. I would even say sad, to be talking about travel restrictions imposed by a friendly African country. What I don't understand is that some of these African countries know very well the difficulties that the continent faces, when a friendly African country does that, especially in the context where most of these countries are the beneficiaries of vaccines donated by South Africa. South Africa has just made a large donation of vaccines to several African countries. And I see in the list of countries which impose restrictions, those who will benefit from them. It doesn't make sense and that's why we think they have to reverse their decision immediately
», Said Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for the South African Department of International Relations, at a press conference on Monday, November 29.
South Africa, which fears the consequences on its economy, says it is having discussions with the governments concerned.
Read also: Omicron variant: South Africa requests the lifting of travel restrictions
The President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, for his part accuses Western countries of “
afrophobia
”, while Botswana warns against the “
geopolitization
” of the virus.
Since the new variant was detected by South African scientists on Thursday, November 25, several countries such as the United States or the Philippines have decided to ban the entry, on their soil, of travelers from Africa. southern.
Several countries on the continent such as Morocco, Rwanda, Mauritius, Seychelles and Angola have also adopted restrictive measures.
The Secretary General of the United Nations is very concerned about the isolation of southern Africa.
“
The African people should not be penalized for having identified and shared essential scientific and health information with the world,
” emphasizes Antonio Guterres.
I'm deeply concerned about the isolation of southern African countries due to new # COVID19 travel restrictions.
The people of Africa cannot be blamed for the immorally low level of vaccinations available & should not be penalized for sharing health information with the world.
- António Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 29, 2021
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