New COVID-19 variant detected in South Africa prompts renewed travel restriction
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Scientists in South Africa on Thursday identified a concerning new coronavirus variant, prompting several countries to quickly limit travel from the region.
Scientists in South Africa on Thursday identified a concerning new coronavirus variant, prompting several countries to quickly limit travel from the region.
In the past two days, scientists detected the B1.1.529 variant after observing an increase in infections in South Africa. So far, 22 positive cases have been identified in the country.
By Thursday evening, Britain had banned flights from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe, starting at noon local time on Friday. No cases of the new variant have been detected in the U.K.
Direct flights from the six countries will be banned from midday on Friday until hotel quarantine is up and running from 4am on Sunday.
The six nations will be added to the country’s red list, which would require British travelers coming from those nations to quarantine on arrival.
Officials from Israel and Singapore had announced that they, too, would add the same countries to their red lists, along with Mozambique.
There is mounting concern among scientists over the ability of the B. 1.1.529 Sars-Cov-2 variant, first identified in Botswana, to evade the body's immune response and make it more transmissible due to its "very unusual constellation" of mutations.
Scientists are still unclear on how effective existing vaccines will be against the new variant, which displays mutations that might resist neutralization.
South Africa has requested an urgent sitting of a World Health Organization working group on virus evolution on Friday to discuss the new variant.
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BraveRoy : No one without vaccination or proven negative of infection should be allowed on any public transportation. It may be time for international air transport to require health testing within a few days prior to boarding.
BSqueen BraveRoy: How about no medial expense coverage for covid without a vaccine.
People with the vaccine have taken a risk, its now time for the anti vaxers.
Hugh
jedgggg : ok and whats the survival rate? probably 99.98%
Hershel Soderling : Solid dip opportunity.
Jack Reddrop : Black. Friday
Baby u : Strange timing right before Black Friday to scare the hell out of people.
Market hates COVID fear and now it’s a new one. Bravo....
Stuart McAllister : Hi