The new variant B.1.1.529 of the COVID-19, detected for the first time in southern Africa, it was classified on Friday as “worrying” by the World Health Organization (WHO) and will bear the name “Omicron“.
“Variant B.1.1.529 was first notified to WHO by South Africa on November 24, 2021 (…). This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are worrisome, “said the group of experts commissioned by the WHO to follow the evolution of COVID-19.
Belgium announced on Friday that it was the first European country to detect a case of the new variant and several countries have already canceled or restricted flights from southern Africa.
Read: What is known about the new variant of COVID found in South Africa
The identification of this potentially highly contagious and multi-mutated new variant of COVID-19 was announced in South Africa on Thursday. One case has been detected in Hong Kong, another in Israel in a person returning from Malawi and another in Belgium.
US and Canada close borders with southern African countries
The United States and Canada announced the closure of borders to travelers from southern African countries in response to the appearance of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Joe Biden’s government said that people from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini (or Swaziland), Mozambique and Malawi will be barred from entering US territory starting Monday.
Only citizens and permanent residents of the United States will be able to enter the country from those nations, said a senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The policy was implemented as a precaution in light of a new variant of COVID-19 circulating in southern Africa,” he explained, saying that experts and US public health officials are working quickly to have more data on omicron. .
“President Biden has promised to take all necessary steps to keep Americans safe and defeat the pandemic, and this was a step recommended by the US government medical experts and the COVID-19 Response Team,” he said.
Canada also banned travelers from the same southern African nations, except Malawi, from entering the country on Friday.
“We must act quickly to protect Canadians,” Health Minister Jean Yves Duclos explained at a press conference, reporting on the restrictions for the seven countries.
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