Covid Is “Borderless”: UN Chief Slams “Unfair”, “Ineffective” Travel Bans
The United Nations: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday slams travel prohibitions targeting certain countries and regions imposed on the new Covid-19 variant as “ineffective” and “ineffective.”
“With a truly limitless virus, restrictions on trips that isolate one country or region are not only unfair and punishment – they are ineffective,” said Guterres at a press conference, called to improve testing for travelers.
Dozens of countries imposed restrictions on trips from South African countries after the Omicron variant of Coronavirus was first reported in this region last week.
Guterres said the countries that reported the emergence of new strain should not be “punished collectively to identify and share important science and health information with the world.”
He stressed the appeal to the government to implement augmented testing measures for travelers, “along with other appropriate and truly effective steps.”
“This is the only way to reduce the risk of transmission while allowing travel and economic involvement.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has determined the overall risk of Omicron to be “very high” – but the WHO director for Africa also spoke against tourist restrictions from the continent, said it was “attacking global solidarity.”
Officials in South Africa said they were punished for identifying tensions that have now been detected everywhere from the Netherlands to England, Canada and Hong Kong, while President Malawi Lazarus Chakwera accused Western countries “Afrophobia.”
