COVID-19 Omicron Variant: Israel Closes Its Borders to All Foreigners

 COVID-19 Omicron Variant Live News Updates: Israel Closes Its Borders to All Foreigners

THE QUINT

Updated: 28 Nov 2021, 12:33 PM IST

WORLD

3 min read

The COVID-19 Omicron variant, which has sparked global concern of being a potentially more contagious variant, has led to several European nations setting up restrictions overnight.

On Saturday, 27 November, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had said that Israel will, after government approval, ban the entry of all foreigners into the country for 14 days in response to the new COVID variant.

On Sunday, citing an official, news agency AFP reported that Israel has closed its border to all foreigners.

The variant has already been detected in Belgium, Botswana, Hong Kong, Britain, and Israel, sparking global concern.

The World Health Organization on 26 November, had named the B.1.1.529 strain of COVID-19 Omicron, after the fifteenth letter of the Greek alphabet.

Meanwhile, the United Nations' health body has warned that the variant has a large number of mutations.

Snapshot

• Britain, Germany, and Italy detected cases on new COVID-19 Omicron variant on Saturday, 27 November.
• Two Omicron cases were detected in Australia on Sunday.
• WHO has asked countries in South-East Asia Region to be vigilant as cases surge globally.
• Dutch health authorities say that the new 'Omicron' strain of COVID-19 was "probably" present among some of the 61 passengers who tested positive after arriving on two flights from South Africa.
• Indian Council of Medical Research says that there is no need to panic and stressed on the need to ramp up vaccination immediately.
• India recorded 8,774 new COVID infections and 621 deaths in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, active cases have declined to 1,05,691.

https://www.thequint.com/news/world/covid-19-omicron-variant-live-news-updates#read-more

BBC: UK's decision to ban flights was 'rushed'

 

Live Reporting

Summary

• The UK imposes travel restrictions on six African countries over a new coronavirus variant
• The variant is highly mutated and there are concerns vaccines could be less effective against it
• A top UK health official called it "the most significant variant we have encountered to date"
• Uncertainty over the new variant has hit Asian stock markets
• Several European countries are considering new restrictions amid a fourth wave of cases
• Belgium's PM says the increase in cases has been worse than expected

Edited by Yvette Tan   BBC

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• Send an email to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

1. 
   

2. Posted at 15:1607:16   26 November 2021

   UK's decision to ban flights was 'rushed'

   

   Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

   Cape Town in South Africa is a popular destination for British touristsImage caption: Cape Town in South Africa is a popular destination for British tourists

   The UK health secretary's decision to ban flights from South Africa over concerns of a new variant detected there "seems to have been rushed", South Africa's foreign ministry says.

   "Our immediate concern is the damage that this decision will cause to both the tourism industries and businesses of both countries," Naledi Pandor said in a statement.

   He said the move had come before the World Health Organization (WHO) had issued any guidance on the matter, and that his country would work with the UK authorities to try to get the ban lifted as soon as possible.

   The UK is South Africa's largest source for tourists outside of the continent, with more than 400,000 visitors arriving there per year before the pandemic.

3. SOURCE

BBC: Coronavirus variant fear sparks Africa travel curbs

Travellers arriving in England from several southern African countries will have to quarantine amid warnings over a new coronavirus variant.

Published

1 hour ago   26 November 2021   BBC

Related Topics

• Coronavirus pandemic

IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA

Travellers arriving in England from several southern African countries will have to quarantine amid warnings over a new coronavirus variant.

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said from 12:00 GMT on Friday six countries would be added to the red list, with flights being temporarily banned.

One expert described the variant, known as B.1.1.529, as "the worst one we've seen so far", and there is concern it has the potential to evade immunity.

No cases have been confirmed in the UK.

Only 59 confirmed cases have been identified in South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana so far.

• What do we know about this new variant?
• What are the latest changes to UK travel rules?

All flights from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini are being suspended.

Mr Javid said that scientists were "deeply concerned" about the new variant but more needed to be learned about it.

But he said the variant has a significant number of mutations, "perhaps double the number of mutations that we have seen in the Delta variant".

He added: "And that would suggest that it may well be more transmissible and the current vaccines that we have may well be less effective."

He said adding the six countries to the red list was about "being cautious and taking action and trying to protect. as best we can, our borders".

From 12:00 on Friday non-UK and Irish residents will be banned from entering England if they have been in the six countries in the past 10 days.

Any British or Irish resident arriving from the countries after 04:00 on Sunday will have to quarantine in a hotel, with those returning before that being asked to isolate at home.

Those who have returned in the last 10 days are being asked to take a PCR test by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The flight ban will remain in place until the hotel quarantine system is up and running.

One scientist told me this was the worst variant they'd seen - look at it on paper and it's not hard to see why.

It is the most heavily mutated variant so far and is now radically different to the form that emerged in Wuhan, China.

That means vaccines, which were designed using the original, may not be as effective.

And some of its mutations are known to increase the ability of coronaviruses to spread.

But there have been many variants that looked bad on paper before, but haven't taken off.

There are early signs this virus is spreading in South Africa and may already be in every province in the country.

But the big questions - how much does it evade vaccines, is it more severe, does it spread faster that Delta - are unanswerable for now.

• Read more from James.

BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding said scientists in South Africa were trying to understand the mutations of the new variant.

He said there was unhappiness at the new red listing by other countries, with scientists saying the country needed more support and more reward for spotting the new variant.

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) are meeting South African officials on Friday to assess the evolving situation in the country.

The new variant, which has been designated a new variant under investigation by the UKHSA, is heavily mutated and the confirmed cases are mostly concentrated in one province in South Africa.

Scientists say the variant has 50 mutations overall and more than 30 on the spike protein, which is the target of most vaccines and the key the virus uses to unlock the doorway into our body's cells.

Experts in South Africa have said the variant is "very different" to others that have circulated, with concerns that it could be more transmissible but also able to get around parts of the immune system.

Prof Ravi Gupta, from the University of Cambridge, said the new variant had the potential to escape immunity and have increased infectivity.

Imperial College London's Prof Neil Ferguson said it was concerning the new variant appeared to be "driving a rapid increase in case numbers in South Africa" and said the move to restrict travel was "prudent".

But he said it was not clear if the variant was more transmissible or resistant to vaccines and therefore it was too early to judge the risk it poses.

At the moment around 500 and 700 people are travelling to the UK from South Africa each day, but this figure was likely to have increased as the festive period began.

British Airways said it was contacting affected customers and Virgin Atlantic said it would be reviewing its schedule for South Africa for the coming week, with flights from Johannesburg to Heathrow cancelled between 12:00 on Friday and 04:00 on Sunday.

All the countries that remained on the UK's red travel list were removed in October.

Each UK nation sets its own policy but they have generally followed the same rules for past announcements.

Scotland is following the UK government's decision, with anyone arriving from the six countries having to self-isolate and take two PCR tests, while hotel quarantine will be in place from 04:00 GMT on Saturday.

Currently people travelling to the UK who are fully vaccinated do not need to take a Covid test before setting off but do need to take a lateral flow test two days after arrival and fill out a passenger locator form.

Those who are not fully vaccinated and are over 18 must self-isolate at home for 10 days and take a Covid test in the three days before travelling as well as on day two and day eight of their return.

SOURCE

BBC Ros Atkins on Ivermectin ... why people are using a horse drug

 In the US, a drug called Ivermectin is being touted as a way of treating or preventing for Covid-19, with celebrities such as podcast host Joe Rogan praising its use.

That's despite official advice which says it's not approved for this purpose.

Ivermectin is primarily used for parasitic infections in animals and also has some application for humans in small doses.

Ros Atkins explores why people continue to use the controversial drug.

Producer: Briony Sowden

Published

16 September

Section

 2021   BBC News

Subsection

World

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