The appearance of a new variant in South Africa has been causing panic around the world in recent days. Some countries, especially in Europe, have announced a strengthening of measures to fight the Covid pandemic. Omicron, the new variant considered worrying by the World Health Organization, caused the fall of the financial centers in the world. The price of oil has not escaped this phenomenon and now the whole world is preparing to face the arrival of this variant which could prove to be even more contagious and perhaps more resistant than the Delta variant.
For more than 24 hours, decisions to close the borders to flights from southern Africa, and South Africa in particular, have multiplied. These are the first steps taken to try to slow down the arrival of this new variant.
The United States, Canada and Brazil have decided to suspend flights from this region. A decision also taken by many European countries when the first cases were detected on the old continent: the first in Belgium on a traveler returning from Egypt. A first suspected case of the Omicron variant has also been detected in Germany. About 60 passengers on a flight from South Africa also tested positive on arrival in Amsterdam; research is underway to find out if this is the new variant.
It is clear that the Dutch authorities have very serious concerns, relates our correspondent in Brussels, Pierre Benazet. The two Johannesburg flights arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol on Friday and the PCR tests of 531 other passengers came back negative. So those who were in transit among them can continue their journey, but the others will have to do ten days of quarantine in the Netherlands.
As for the 61 passengers who tested positive, currently in quarantine in a hotel in Schiphol, the Dutch authorities have started a review, in the hope of ruling out the presence of this new Omicron variant, in their PCR test, or even serological.
The Dutch health authorities are also asking all travelers returning from South Africa, in the last ten days, a priori, to be retested. New PCR test to obviously verify the presence of this variant, while thefts are obviously prohibited, for the Netherlands, as for others.
All the passengers who have arrived since yesterday have been locked in their planes for hours and hours, then in hotels, before they can get out and leave the airport.
More and more countries are taking action
Russia also intends to apply restrictions on flights from South Africa and neighboring countries, as do some Gulf countries, while Japan intends to tighten conditions for entry into its territory with 10 days of isolation at respect.
Reactions denounced by the South African Minister of Health who considers them unjustified and which puts them on the account of panic. New measures announced as part of the planet faces a new pandemic wave. It is indeed a new wind of panic which is blowing on the planet while the WHO has still not confirmed the dangerousness of this new variant.
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Major events already impacted
First postponement announced: the ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization. After an emergency meeting of its 164 members, the WTO decided to postpone its 12th conference sine die. It was to meet in Geneva from Monday, around 4,000 participants including heads of state and more than a hundred ministers were expected. This was to be the institution’s first ministerial meeting for 4 years. In June of last year, the Covid-19 had already prevented the holding of this gathering.
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The World Health Organization is due to discuss a possible pandemic treaty next week. Following the decisions that will be taken, the holding of two other major meetings, one on sustainable finance and the other on lethal autonomous weapons systems, could also be canceled.
All over the world, restrictive measures are being taken in the face of the new epidemic wave and the detection of the new variant.