Tanzania to acquire spray plane to fight locusts' invasions
The government of Tanzania has set aside 3 billion Tanzanian shillings (about $1.3 million) for buying a spray plane to fight invasions of locusts, the Minister for Agriculture, Adolf Mkenda, has said…reports Asian Lite News
Mkenda told a press conference in the capital Dodoma that the government has decided to buy the spray plane to fight the locusts that have been invading the country from time to time, Xinhua news agency reported.
Tanzania to acquire spray plane to fight locusts’ invasions
He said although Tanzania got support from the Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa and the International Red Locust Control Organization for Central and Southern Africa during locusts’ invasions, buying its own spray plane could reinforce the fight against the destructive pests.
“When locusts invade our country we request for spray planes from these organisations but acquiring our own spray plane will boost the fight against the locusts,” the Minister added.
Mkenda said the buying of the spray plane will go in tandem with strengthening of the agricultural aerial spraying unit.
In February 2021, swarms of locusts invaded in Monduli, Longido, Simanjiro, Siha and Mwanga in northern Tanzania but they were wiped out before they inflicted damage on farm crops.
Morocco suspends regular int’l flights over Omicron variant
Morocco will suspend all regular international passenger flights for two weeks over concern about the new Covid-19 variant Omicron…reports Asian Lite News
The suspension will come into effect starting Monday’s midnight, the Moroccan Monitoring Committee of Covid-19 said on Sunday in a statement.
Morocco suspends regular int’l flights over Omicron variant
The decision has been taken due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, so as to preserve Morocco’s achievements in managing pandemic, it added.
The Moroccan Ministry of Health reported 116 new Covid-19 infections on Saturday, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 949,648, Xinhua news agency reported.
AU Chair urges support for vax, medicine manufacture in Africa
Tourism is one of South Africa’s key contributors to the economy. As a whole, the industry directly employs 657,000 people…reports Asian Lite News
Travel bans on South Africa due to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus will be “devastating” for the provincial economy as the local government is seeking for a recovery on its key tourism sector from Covid-19 impact, Western Cape provincial official said in a press release.
The economy of Western Cape, South Africa’s popular tourism destination that hosts the legislative capital Cape Town, relies on international visitors during the peak season, which starts from December when South Africa is in summer, Premier of Western Cape, Alan Winde, said on Sunday.
Travel bans on S. Africa will affect local economy recovery
“This has been a hammer blow to our major job-creating sector in the province precisely when we needed a recovery, to claw back jobs lost over the last 19 months,” Winde said.
He said the travel bans are “extremely distressing”, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that they are not an effective response, Xinhua news agency reported.
Western Cape, which boasts the iconic Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Robben Island, as well as wine routes and a coastline includes sandy beaches with rocky mountains in places, was seeing a hope of recovery in the tourism sector that has been hit hard by Covid, with an estimated loss of over 75,000 jobs in 2020. Both Cape Town and Western Cape governments have been preparing for the peak season by driving vaccinations and launching marketing and other tourism-related activities.
“We are devastated that, at the very moment recovery was kicking in, we have been hit by a new variant which has turned things upside down and which is a major setback for our tourism and hospitality sector in the Western Cape,” said the province’s Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier.
Maynier said the government has been in regular contact with diplomatic corps and will convene meetings with business to provide updates on latest developments as Western Cape’s economy needs as much information as possible to make the best decisions.
Despite the disappointment on the travel bans, the local government has been assisting passengers who have been stranded by providing access to transport and accommodation and by liaising with consulates to assist where necessary. It also set up a dedicated FAQ page with necessary information to assist travellers.
South Africa’s president has condemned travel bans enacted against his country and its neighbours over the new coronavirus variant Omicron…reports Asian Lite News
Cyril Ramaphosa said he was “deeply disappointed” by the action, which he described as unjustified, and called for the bans to be urgently lifted.
The UK, EU and US are among those who have imposed travel bans.
S. Africa condemns travel ban over Omicron
Omicron has been classed as a “variant of concern”. Early evidence suggests it has a higher re-infection risk.
The heavily mutated variant was detected in South Africa earlier this month and then reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) last Wednesday, the report said.
The variant is responsible for most of the infections found in South Africa’s most populated province, Gauteng, over the last two weeks, and is now present in all other provinces in the country.
On Monday, Japan became the latest country to reinstate tough border restrictions, banning all foreigners from entering the country from 30 November, the report added.
The WHO has warned against countries hastily imposing travel curbs, saying they should look to a “risk-based and scientific approach”. However, numerous bans have been introduced in recent days amid concerns over the variant.
WHO’s Africa director Matshidiso Moeti said on Sunday: “With the Omicron variant now detected in several regions of the world, putting in place travel bans that target Africa attacks global solidarity.”
In his speech, Ramaphosa said there was no scientific basis for the travel bans and that southern Africa was the victim of unfair discrimination, the report added.
He also argued that the bans would not be effective in preventing the spread of the variant.
“The only thing the prohibition on travel will do is to further damage the economies of the affected countries and undermine their ability to respond to, and recover from, the pandemic,” he said.
With the Omicron variant now present in all provinces of South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa has raised the possibility that the country could enter the fourth wave soon if new cases continue to increase…reports Asian Lite News
“The identification of Omicron coincides with a sudden increase in Covid-19 infections. If cases continue to rise, we can expect to see a fourth wave of infection in the next few weeks, if not sooner,” Ramaphosa said in his televised speech on Sunday evening.
His address to the nation followed a meeting of the Coronavirus Command Council after scientists recently discovered the new variant, Xinhua news agency reported.
S. African President warns about fourth wave as Omicron spreads
“We have seen an average of 1,600 new cases in the last seven days, compared to just 500 new daily cases in the previous week, and 275 new daily cases the week before that. The proportion of Covid-19 tests that are positive has risen from around 2 to 9 per cent in less than a week,” the President added.
“This is an extremely sharp increase in infections in a short period of time.”
“We know that the variant is responsible for most of the infections found in Gauteng in the last two weeks and is now emerging in all other provinces,” he said.
Given that only 35 per cent of the adult population has been fully vaccinated so far and there is still a lot of hesitation to vaccinate, Ramaphosa announced that a working group has been set up to discuss the possibility of making vaccines mandatory to access public places such as public transport, workplaces, public events and public facilities.
“Government has set up a working group that will consult widely on the introduction of compulsory vaccination in certain activities and places,” he added.
The task force will report to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Immunisation, chaired by Deputy President David Mabuza, which will make recommendations to the Cabinet.
He said the first and the most powerful tool that mankind has is vaccination.
“Vaccination is by far the most important way to protect yourself and those around you against the Omicron variant, to reduce the impact of the fourth wave and to help restore the social freedoms we all yearn for,” he added.
“Vaccination is also vital to the return of our economy to full operation, to the resumption of travel and the recovery of vulnerable sectors like tourism and hospitality.”
Ramaphosa said the Covid-19 virus, like all viruses, does mutate and form new variants. The likelihood of the emergence of more severe forms of variants is increased significantly where people are not vaccinated.
“That is why we have joined many countries, organisations and people around the world who have been fighting for equal access to vaccines for everyone,” he added.
“We have said that vaccine inequality not only costs lives and livelihoods in those countries that are denied access, but that it also threatens global efforts to overcome the pandemic. The emergence of the Omicron variant should be a wake-up call to the world that vaccine inequality cannot be allowed to continue.”
Calls to arms and violent hate speech by irresponsible leaders are heading Ethiopia to the risk of genocide, the UN special adviser on the prevention of genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu said…reports Asian Lite News
On Friday, she expressed grave concern about the deterioration of the situation in Ethiopia, Xinhua news agency reported.
Speech by irresponsible leaders, the militarisation of society, ethnic profiling, denial of humanitarian access and blockade of food to areas under fighting inhabited by specific ethnic communities and misuse of medical supplies continue, she said.
Ethiopia risks heading to genocide UN adviser
Nderitu said those leaders “are spiraling the country down to a path where the risk of commission of atrocity crimes, including genocide, is real and must be addressed as a matter of utmost urgency.”
The special adviser called upon regional and international actors “to intensify their engagement to prevent falling into this abyss.”
She also reminded parties in the conflict that they are accountable to the citizens of their country, their region and the world under international human rights and humanitarian laws.
While nothing can restore the lives of those lost, Nderitu said, it is not too late to prevent further suffering and end the hostilities through meaningful and constructive dialogue.
“Regional and international actors have provided leaders in Ethiopia with tools and mechanisms to conduct such dialogue,” she said. “It is more imperative than ever that they demonstrate their true leadership by immediately committing to taking this path, in words and in actions.”
SAN Parks reschedule int'l visitors after travel ban
South Africa will not be charged fees or penalties for amendments and postponements for a 12-month period from the date of November 26, 2021, until such time as the travel bans are lifted…reports Asian Lite News
The South African National Parks (SANParks) is doing mass booking amendments from residents of various countries across the world following the banning of flights from some western countries owing to the discovery of the Covid-19 variant B.1.1.529, said SANParks on Saturday.
SAN Parks reschedule int’l visitors after travel ban
“We have decided that booked clients from the countries that have introduced travel bans to South Africa will not be charged fees or penalties for amendments and postponements for a 12-month period from the date of November 26, 2021, until such time as the travel bans are lifted,” said Hapiloe Sello, SANParks managing executive of tourism development and marketing, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Affected clients are welcome to contact our reservation offices to postpone their reservations to later dates. We encourage guests to opt for SANParks to retain their deposit payments until they are certain about their travel plans and to only consider cancellations and refunds as a last resort,” she added.
Kuwait suspends direct flights from 9 African countries over new Covid-19 variant
Kuwait decided on Saturday to suspend direct flights with nine African countries over the new Covid-19 variant Omicron…reports Asian Lite News
Kuwait will suspend direct commercial flights with South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zambia, and Malawi, except for cargo planes, Kuwait’s Center for Government Communication said.
Kuwaiti citizens coming from those countries will be in quarantine for seven days starting from November 28, and they will be required to do a PCR test on arrival and another on the sixth day of arrival, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, non-Kuwaitis coming from those countries, whether they come directly or through other countries, will be barred from entry unless they stay in a third country for at least 14 days.
Israel has issued a ban on its citizens travelling to 50 African countries to prevent the spread of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, the Israeli Health Ministry said in a statement…reports Asian Lite News
On Thursday, Israel labeled seven African countries as “red countries,” banning travel to them, and now added 43 more countries on the continent to the list.
An attempt of an Israeli to travel to one of the 50 countries will result in a fine of 5,000 shekels ($1,569), the Ministry noted.
All Israelis returning from the 50 countries, including vaccinated and recovered ones, must enter quarantine for at least seven days.
Also, foreign nationals are not allowed to travel from the 50 countries to Israel, except in humanitarian cases with the approval of a special governmental committee, Xinhua news agency reported.
Bangladesh Minister of Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque said the Bangladeshi government is aware of the emergence of the new variant in South Africa…reports Asian Lite News
Bangladesh on Saturday suspended the entry of travellers from South Africa amid the spread of a new variant of Covid-19.
Making the announcement, Bangladesh Minister of Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque said the Bangladeshi government is aware of the emergence of the new variant in South Africa, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We’ve decided to suspend travel from South Africa with immediate effect,” the minister said.
He said this new variant, named Omicron, is extremely aggressive.
According to the minister, the Bangladeshi government is also strengthening screening procedures at all ports.
Covid-19 infections and deaths from the virus have fallen significantly in Bangladesh in recent months due to the vaccination drive.
Bangladesh reported 155 new Covid-19 cases and 2 new deaths on Saturday, taking the tally to 15,75,579 and the death toll to 27,975, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.
