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Many nations are considering travel bans or tightening quarantine measures as instances of the Covid-18 Omicron variant emerge throughout the world.
With a number of nations reporting verified instances of the Omicron form for the first time, global anxiety about the coronavirus pandemic is spreading.
Governments have again imposed travel restrictions, suspending flights from southern Africa, the region where the strain was initially discovered.
Here’s a rundown of the most recent COVID-19 news from across the world.
Israel
Israel announced steps on Saturday to prohibit all foreigners from entering the nation.
It will become the first nation to entirely close its borders in reaction to the Omicron version if the measures are adopted.
B.1.1.529 is thought to be more infectious than other variations, as well as more resistant to vaccinations.
The restriction will be in effect for 14 days, according to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Israel has one verified Omicron variant case and seven suspected cases so far.
Phone-tracking technology will be used to track down carriers of the new strain in an attempt to prevent it from spreading to others
The USA
The United States will ban travel from South Africa and seven other nations in the area beginning Monday.
Citizens and permanent residents of the United States, as well as their wives and close friends, shall be excluded.
So yet, no instances of Omicron have been found in the nation.
However, America’s top infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told NBC that he wouldn’t be surprised if the variant has already arrived in the United States, adding, “When you have a virus that is showing this degree of transmissibility … it almost invariably is ultimately going to go essentially all over.”
Separately, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a COVID-19 “disaster emergency” on Friday, citing an increase in illnesses and hospitalizations in the state.
Italy
Health officials reported on Saturday that an Omicron variant case had been diagnosed in Italy.
The business traveler had traveled from Mozambique, arriving in Rome on November 11 and returning to Naples the following day.
Five members of his family have tested positive, including two children. All of them are now isolated and experiencing mild symptoms.
Germany
Two passengers who arrived on a flight from South Africa on November 24 were also found to have the Omicron strain.
Despite the fact that genome sequencing has not yet been finished, it has been “confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the variation.”
Both instances were discovered in Bavaria’s southern state, while another probable case was discovered in the country’s western region.
The Netherlands
COVID-19 infections have been found in 61 persons who traveled from South Africa on Friday, according to Dutch health officials.
Although the Netherlands Institute for Health believes some of these individuals have the Omicron variation, further testing is needed to be certain.
The high number of cases surprised KLM, because all passengers had either tested negative or provided confirmation of vaccination before to boarding flights from Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Authorities in the nation are seeking to reach 5,000 travelers who have arrived since Monday from South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
Switzerland
To combat the spread of the Omicron variety, quarantine rules have been expanded to include a larger number of travelers.
Arriving passengers from the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Egypt, and Malawi will now face stricter restrictions.
Passengers from these countries will be required to submit a negative COVID-19 test and will be quarantined for 10 days, according to the Federal Office of Public Health.
South Africa and the neighboring region have already barred direct flights.
Despite the fact that instances have been found in Italy and Germany, two of Switzerland’s neighbors, no travel restrictions have been placed on any of the countries with which it shares borders.
Spain
British travellers will be permitted to enter Spain only if they have documentation of a COVID-19 vaccine starting next month.
Until now, unvaccinated travelers were allowed into the country if they could present a negative PCR test that was take 72 hours before their arrival.
“The appearance of new variants causing (coronavirus) obliges an increase in restrictions,” the government confirmed.
The new rules will not impact about 300,000 British residents in Spain, according to Spain’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism.
Indonesia
To combat the spread of the novel Omicron coronavirus type, Indonesia will prevent travelers from eight African nations from entering the country and lengthen quarantine periods for all arrivals, officials announced on Sunday.
People who have spent the previous 14 days in South Africa, Botswana,Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Eswatini, and Nigeria are subject to the restriction.
In response to warnings about the transmissibility of the new variant, a number of countries, including Australia, Brazil,Iran, Canada, Japan, Thailand, and travel restrictions, joined others, including the European Union and the United Kingdom, in imposing restrictions on southern African countries, against the World Health Organization’s advice.
