Israel bans travel to UK, Denmark to prevent spread of Omicron
Israel announced the extension of travel restrictions to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz decided that the current restrictions of banning foreigners from entering Israel will be extended to December 22, reports Xinhua news agency.
According to the Health Ministry, 35 Israelis have been tested positive for the Omicron variant, most of which are vaccinated.
Israel announce extension of travel restrictions
Meanwhile, Israelis returning from abroad will be quarantined for three days.
A statement released by the Prime Minister’s office also said more restrictions may be considered in the coming days.
In the past week, there has been a slight increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Israel.
AU calls for rescinding travel bans on African nations
Recent travel and entry bans are imposing an adverse impact on the economy which will negatively affect the lives and livelihoods of populations concerned…reports Asian Lite News
The African Union (AU) warned that travel and entry bans in connection with the emergence of the Omicron Covid-19 variant limit the free movement of people and goods, imposing immediate and significant impact on countries across the continent.
AU calls for rescinding travel bans on African nations
The 55-member pan African bloc, in a statement, called for the urgent rescinding of travel bans placed on African countries following the detection of the Omicron variant, reports Xinhua news agency.
“Current evidence, which underscores global spread and community transmission of the Omicron variant, does not support selective travel bans imposed on Southern African countries,” the statement said.
It added that penalising African countries for ensuring timely and transparent data dissemination in accordance with international health regulations acts as a disincentive for information sharing in the future, potentially posing a threat to health security on the continent and globally.
The AU stressed that recent travel and entry bans are imposing an adverse impact on the economy which will negatively affect the lives and livelihoods of populations concerned.
It further indicated that the travel ban created limited the capacity to access essential medical supplies needed to respond to the ongoing upsurge of cases.
The AU further strongly commended the effective genomic surveillance systems in South Africa and Botswana that have led to early detection of the Omicron variant on the continent, and applauded scientists and public health authorities in both member states for timely and transparent data sharing to alert the international community.
It acknowledged that more time and investigations are needed to adequately assess the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the Omicron variant.
Meanwhile, the AU underscored the urgent need to strengthen public health and social measures to mitigate the risk of infections.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid says all international arrivals to the country, including children over the age of 12, will need to take a pre-departure test from 0400 GMT tomorrow, reports Asian Lite News
Britain’s government tightened travel restrictions amid concerns about the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, saying all travellers arriving in England will need to take a Covid-19 test before they board their flight.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that travel restrictions are necessary to slow the spread of Omicron while scientists work to understand more about the transmissibility and implications for vaccine effectiveness of the variant.
Health secretary Sajid Javid said the new rules will apply from 4am London time on Tuesday. “In light of the most recent data, we are taking further action to slow the incursion of the omicron variant,” he said in a tweet.
Javid also added Nigeria to the UK’s travel “red list”, which means that arrivals from there will be banned except for UK and Irish residents, and those travellers must isolate in designated quarantine facilities.
Britain’s health security agency on Sunday reported 86 new cases of the Omicron variant, taking the total number identified so far to 246.
Karen Dee, the chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, said the new measures will be a “major deterrent” to travel, just as airports and the travel industry were hoping for a small uplift over the festive season.
“This is a devastating blow for aviation and tourism,” she said
The health ministry said that the measure was justified as UKHSA analysis indicated the window between infection and infectiousness may be shorter for the Omicron variant.
But British Airways said it was a “devastating blow” for the industry, while pilot union BALPA said the government was destroying confidence in air travel.
The measures will be reviewed on Dec. 20.
South Africa and nine other Southern African countries were added to the red list last weekend, meaning that entry is only allowed to UK citizens or residents who then must quarantine in a hotel.
Meanwhile, statistician David Spiegelhalter, a University of Cambridge professor who co-authored a history of the pandemic, told Sky News that “travel restrictions at the moment are only going to slow things up a little bit.. but they’re not going to stop it (Omicron) and it’s going to come in”.
Omicron cases rise by 50% in one day
A further 86 cases of the Omicron Covid variant have been reported in the UK, taking the total to 246, health authorities confirmed on Sunday.
This compares with a total of 160 on Saturday, an increase of more than 50 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) figures.
Meanwhile, the UK has registered 43,992 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 10,464,389, according to official figures.
The country also reported a further 54 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in the UK now stands at 145,605. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
“I think it’s too late to make a material difference to the course of the Omicron wave if we’re going to have one,” professor Mark Woolhouse, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M), told the BBC, when asked about the new travel rules.
More than 88 per cent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and nearly 81 per cent have received both doses, according to the latest figures.
More than 35 per cent have received booster jabs, or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
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.
New projections for the recovery of New Zealand tourism suggest that it could be 2024 before the industry gets close to its “new normal”…reports Asian Lite News
Tourism Industry Aotearoa (New Zealand) (TIA) released a Tourism Industry Roadmap to an online audience of more than 400 at the opening of Tourism Summit Aotearoa on Monday. The roadmap sets out an up-to-the-minute analysis of how the industry recovery might progress over the next few years.
New Zealand tourism releases recovery plan
Drawing on the opinions and expertise of two dozen tourism leaders, the Roadmap aims to provide guidance by industry, for industry, so that tourism businesses can plan for a range of potential pathways, TIA Chief Executive Chris Roberts said.
“Even if operators disagree or will make up their own minds, this roadmap work will form a basis for their own business planning. Not many government or private sector analysts are covering tourism so this information may also be used to ensure better consideration of tourism across a wide range of processes,” Roberts said.
Quarantine-free travel is key to attracting international visitors back to New Zealand, he said.
“We know it will be a step-by-step process but the best way to get moving on the road ahead is to complete the first few small steps safely and swiftly.”
The Roadmap analysis shows there is a 16-billion-New Zealand dollar potential additional loss in foreign exchange earnings if there are delays to the removal of border restrictions, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Twenty-six billion New Zealand dollars in earnings from international visitors has already been lost since border restrictions began in February 2020. The analysis suggests a further 23-billion-New Zealand dollar loss in the next three years, but this could balloon to 39 billion New Zealand dollars if our reconnection to the world is delayed.”
The new normal for travel is shaping up around the world but New Zealand is on the edge in terms of logistics, connections and potentially decision making, according to the Roadmap expert group.
Government policy settings will continue to be strongly influential over the next 12 months but New Zealand is seen as a safe destination and there is pent-up demand. The impact of new virus variants on global travel is identified as creating additional uncertainty.
By 2023, the main challenges are expected to be availability and cost of air travel, as well as international competition from other visitor destinations. But a partial recovery is expected, with a return to the new normal in 2024.
Tourism in New Zealand comprises an important sector of the national economy, which directly contributed about 6 percent of the country’s GDP prior to Covid-19.
As New Zealand’s biggest export industry contributing 20.4 per cent of total exports, it directly employed 8.4 per cent of the New Zealand workforce before Covid, according to Stats New Zealand. (1 New Zealand dollar equals $0.70 dollar)
Modi stressed on the need to be proactive to monitor the new threat and “intensive containment and active surveillance should continue in clusters reporting higher cases,” reports Asian Lite News
India will review its plan to ease international travel restrictions after a new variant of Sars-CoV-2 triggered a global alarm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed top officials at a meeting lasting over two hours on Saturday to be “proactive in light of the new threat”.
The World Health Organization on Friday designated a new variant of concern, classifying it as Omicron after early analysis of case trends and labs tests in South Africa threw up strong signals that it could be a more serious threat than the Delta variant, which has triggered devastating waves in several countries.
“The PM highlighted the need for monitoring all international arrivals, their testing as per guidelines, with a specific focus on countries identified ‘at risk’. The PM also asked officials to review plans for easing of international travel restrictions in light of the emerging new evidence,” the government said in a statement.
Modi stressed on the need to be proactive to monitor the new threat and “intensive containment and active surveillance should continue in clusters reporting higher cases,” the statement said.
“People need to more cautious and take proper precautions like masking and social distancing,” the statement quoted Modi as saying.
Modi’s directive comes a day after the aviation ministry announced a conditional resumption of scheduled international flights to and from India from December 15, after 20 months of a coronavirus-induced suspension.
Countries such as the UK, Germany, Singapore, Israel, France and Italy have restricted air travel from southern Africa, where the cases of new coronavirus variant of serious health implications have been reported.
On Friday, as fears grew of the pandemic being fanned afresh, commodity and stock markets around the world took their worst dive this year.
Multiple Indian states announced they were stepping up vigil on international arrivals on their own.
Modi instructed officials to coordinate with states to ensure adequate buffer stocks of various medicines and asked them to work with the states to review the functioning of medical infrastructure, including paediatric facilities, the government statement added.
He also called for genome sequencing of samples from international travellers and communities as per norms.
The meeting was attended by cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba, Niti Aayog member (health) VK Paul, home secretary AK Bhalla, health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, Indian Council of Medical Research chief Balram Bhargava, principal scientific adviser K. Vijay Raghavan and several other officials.
South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong flyers to be quarantined in Lucknow
Flyers coming to Lucknow from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong will have to go in for 10-day home isolation as a precautionary measure against the new ‘Omicron’ variant of the novel coronavirus.
This will also apply to the people of Lucknow visiting these countries on their return.
“All foreign travellers will also be tested through RT-PCR at the airport itself,” said Chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Manoj Agrawal, who held a meeting with immigration and Airport Health Organisation on Saturday.
The travellers to these countries will have to follow the 10-day home-isolation rule even if they test negative for Covid-19 at the airport. Travellers to countries — other than these three — will have to isolate themselves at home only if they test positive.
Health department teams and community healthcare centres will conduct random inspections to find out whether these people are following isolation rules or not. Calls will also be made daily to these people for ten days to check their status, the CMO said.
Meanwhile, the number of active Covid-19 cases have dropped to 11 in Lucknow with three more patients recovering in the past 24 hours. Only one new case was reported.
A special Covid-19 vaccination drive will be conducted across the district on Sunday.
The health department will set up 240 booths in 135 vaccination centres. These include 10 district hospitals, 19 community healthcare centres, 18 primary healthcare centres and 88 special camps. Special focus would be on rural areas.
CMO Dr Manoj Agrawal said, “People can simply walk in with a government recognised photo ID to get vaccinated.”
Delhi CM urges Modi to stop flights
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop flights from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong where new Covid-19 variants have been detected.
“I urge Hon’ble PM to stop flights from those countries which are affected by new variant. With great difficulty, our country has recovered from Corona. We should do everything possible to prevent this new variant from entering India,” Kejriwal tweeted this morning.
His tweet came in the light of a meeting that will be chaired by the Prime Minister on the Covid-19 situation and vaccination, today.
With the news of a new Covid-19 variant –Omicron, being detected in South Africa, scientists and health experts in India have said that new waves of infection are anticipated and unless we act quickly and efficiently, the country will possibly see repeat waves.
In a communication to all states and Union Territories, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said India’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has informed the government that “multiple cases of a Covid-19 variant B.1.1529 have been reported in Botswana (3 cases), South Africa (6 cases) and Hong Kong (1 case)”.
“This variant is reported to have a significantly high number of mutations, and thus, has serious public health implications for the country, in view of recently relaxed visa restrictions and opening up of international travel,” Bhushan said.
“lt is, therefore, imperative that ALL international travellers travelling from and transiting through these countries, (they are part of the “at-risk” Country Category of international travellers coming to lndia) are subjected to rigorous screening and testing”, the communication said.
“The contacts of these international travellers must also be closely tracked and tested as per MoHFW guidelines.”
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.
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.
Tunisia imposes new Covid-19 measures for arrivals from abroad
The Tunisian Ministry of Health has announced new measures for arrivals from abroad to prevent the spread of the new variant of Covid-19 Omicron in the country…reports Asian Lite News
All arrivals must present a certificate of completion of the vaccination or a vaccination pass. This decision involves all non-resident passengers over the age of 18 years, said the Ministry in a statement.
Tunisia imposes new Covid-19 measures for arrivals from abroad
Arrivals over six years old must present a negative PCR test result within 48 hours before take-off, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Tunisian Health authorities have also imposed a 10-day confinement in one of the designated centers for Tunisians as well as foreigners residing in Tunisia who have not yet completed their vaccination.
All arrivals must immediately carry out a rapid test to detect Covid-19.
According to the latest figures released by the Ministry on Saturday, 175 new Covid-19 cases were reported, raising the tally in the north African country to 717,163.
Israel has announced a ban on entry of travellers from seven African countries, after a new Covid-19 variant was detected in South Africa…reports Asian Lite News
Amid reports of the heavily mutated variant known as B.1.1529, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horwitz on Thursday decided to list South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini as “red countries,” Xinhua news agency reported.
“Foreigners from these countries will not be able to enter Israel,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.
Israeli citizens who return home from trips to these countries will need to stay in a designated quarantine motel for seven days, even if they are fully vaccinated, it said.
They will be released after two negative PCR tests. Travellers who refuse to be tested will need to stay in quarantine for 12 days, according to the statement.
