Tag: travel ban

EU complicates travel rules for Russians amid Ukraine war

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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EU foreign ministers decided on Wednesday to make it more expensive and lengthier for Russians to obtain visas to travel to the bloc, but stopped short of agreeing to the EU-wide visa ban that Ukraine and several member states had called for.

The EU was too divided to agree at this stage on a blanket ban, and also left unclear what unilateral measures Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland, which have land borders with Russia, could take to restrict access to Russian visitors.

These five countries welcomed the suspension of Russia’s visa facilitation deal as a “necessary first step”, but stressed that more was needed to be done to “drastically” limit the numbers of visas issued and Russians travelling to the bloc since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

“Until such measures are in place on the EU level, we will consider introducing on the national level temporary measures of visa ban, or restricting border crossing for Russian citizens holding EU visas, in order to address imminent public security issues,” they said in a joint statement.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said the EU’s executive Commission would indeed look at ways to go further, including what can be done with what Lipavsky said were about 12 million Schengen visas already issued for Russians – referring to the 26-country zone of open borders.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, argued that the suspension of the visa facilitation deal will by itself already have a real impact.

“This will significantly reduce the number of new visas issued by the EU member states. It’s going to be more difficult, it’s going to take longer,” he told a news conference at the end of a two-day meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague.

Borrell said a substantial increase in border crossings from Russia into neighbouring states since mid-July had made it necessary to suspend the visa facilitation agreement.

Also Read: Oil prices fall on greater supply, lower China demand

Security Risk

“This has become a security risk for these neighbouring states,” he added. “In addition to that, we have seen many Russians travelling for leisure and shopping as if no war was raging in Ukraine.”

More than one million Russian citizens have entered the bloc through land border crossing points since the beginning of the Ukraine invasion, most of them via Finland and Estonia, the bloc’s border agency Frontex said.

Ukraine has repeatedly said ordinary Russians must also pay for the invasion, which has killed thousands of civilians, according to the United Nations, and levelled cities.

Its foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, earlier on Wednesday repeated calls for an EU visa ban, saying it would be “an appropriate response to Russia’s genocidal war of aggression in the heart of Europe supported by an overwhelming majority of Russian citizens”.

But France and Germany disagreed.

“We caution against far-reaching restrictions on our visa policy, in order to prevent feeding the Russian narrative and triggering unintended rallying-around the flag effects and estranging future generations,” they said in a joint memo.

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Omicron: Singapore lifts travel ban imposed on 10 African countries

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Singapore has lifted the ban it imposed on 10 African countries over the Omicron variant of coronavirus, while authorities expect a rapid doubling of cases in the coming days. Passengers arriving in Singapore with travel history to Botswana, Eswatini, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe within the past 14 days will come under the country’s Category IV border measures from 11.59 pm on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said it expects a new wave of local cases “soon” given the higher transmissibility of the Omicron variant. “In the coming days and weeks, we should expect more community (local) cases and rapid doubling of cases. This is again a process we need to go through, in order to live with COVID-19,” it said.

“However, the peak of the wave can be blunted and we can avoid overwhelming our healthcare system again if everyone plays their part to get their vaccinations and booster doses, self-test regularly and self-isolate if tested positive,” the Channel News Asia quoting the MoH said. In particular, those who have recently arrived from overseas or been in contact with an infected person should reduce their social interactions.

“We have done whatever we can to prepare ourselves for it; especially in administering boosters to our population and starting vaccinations for our children. We seek the cooperation and understanding of everyone, as we weather through an Omicron wave in the next one to two months,” the channel quoting the ministry said. Instead of being isolated in dedicated facilities by default, Omicron cases will be placed on home recovery or treated at community care facilities depending on their clinical presentation, the channel reported.

This means the travellers with links to these countries must take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within two days before departure to Singapore, as well as an on-arrival PCR test. They will also have to serve a 10-day stay-home notice at a dedicated facility. Another PCR test will be administered at the end of their quarantine period. Previously, long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to these 10 African countries were not allowed to enter or transit following initial reports on Omicron cases there. Singapore citizens and permanent residents returning from these countries would have to serve a 10-day stay-home notice at a dedicated facility.

The MoH said it initially adopted a “more cautious risk containment approach” to reduce the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant into Singapore. “The Omicron variant has since spread widely around the world,” the ministry said, adding that Singapore is updating its travel restrictions accordingly.

“As the global situation evolves, we will continue to adjust our border measures in tandem with our roadmap to becoming a Covid-resilient nation, it said. “Current observations from affected countries and regions suggest that the Omicron variant is more transmissible than currently circulating variants. Globally, the Omicron variant has overtaken the Delta variant as the predominant variant in numerous countries, such as the UK and Denmark,” it added.

Available data suggests that Omicron infections face reduced risks of hospitalisation and severe disease compared to Delta infections, the MoH added. “Locally, our Omicron cases have so far not been severe as well, none has required intensive care or oxygen supplementation, although this may be partially due to most cases being fully vaccinated and from younger age groups,” it said.

Preliminary estimates from overseas studies also indicate that two doses of mRNA vaccines reduce the risk of symptomatic infection from Omicron by about 35 per cent. The risk is further reduced to about 75 per cent lower for individuals with a primary and booster mRNA regimen. “There should be better protection against severe infection and death due to cellular immunity and other factors,” said the MoH.

“It is therefore important for us to press on with our booster vaccination programme to enhance protection against infection and severe disease, it said. Also, Omicron cases in Singapore will be placed on home recovery or treated at community care facilities depending on their clinical presentation, instead of being isolated in dedicated facilities by default, the ministry said.

“International evidence indicates that the Omicron variant is likely to be more transmissible but less severe than the Delta variant, and that vaccines, especially boosters, retain substantial protection against hospitalisations caused by Omicron,” the channel quoting the MoH said. “In the last week, we had several unlinked Omicron cases as well as clusters in the community. This was not unexpected given the high transmissibility of the variant, the ministry said.

Based on the authorities’ “updated understanding”, Omicron cases will be allowed to follow protocols 1-2-3 as with other COVID-19 cases, it said. As of Saturday, Singapore has detected 546 confirmed Omicron cases comprising 443 imported cases and 103 local infections.

On Sunday, Singapore reported 209 new COVID-19 cases, 100 of which were imported or those arriving here. There was also one fatality, taking the country’s death toll from coronavirus complications to 822.

As of Sunday, Singapore has recorded 2,77,764 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

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Omicron: Officials offer vaccine reassurance, WHO advises against travel bans

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The World Health Organization warned countries on Tuesday not to impose blanket travel bans over the new Omicron coronavirus variant as governments and scientists tried to figure how much protection current vaccines would offer against the strain.

Financial markets fell sharply after the head of drugmaker Moderna said existing COVID-19 vaccines would be less effective against the Omicron variant, but they recovered strongly after more reassuring comments from European officials.

BioNTech’s chief executive also struck a cautiously positive note, saying BioNTech and Pfizer’s vaccine was likely to offer strong protection against severe disease from Omicron.

Also Read: Omicron: 7-day quarantine must for travellers to Maharashtra from ‘at-risk’ countries

The WHO said that blanket travel bans would not stop the new variants spread but would place a “heavy burden” on lives and livelihoods.

It advised governments to take measures such as screening or quarantine of international passengers if the evidence warranted it.

Also Read: Omicron: South Africa establishes war room to address effects of travel ban on tourism

However, people who are unwell or at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19, including those 60 years or older, should postpone travel, the WHO said in a statement.

WHO Secretary General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he understood the concerns about Omicron.

But he added: https://www.reuters.com/world/whos-tedros-warns-against-over-reaction-omicron-2021-11-30 “I am equally concerned that several member states are introducing blunt, blanket measures that are not evidence-based or effective on their own, and which will only worsen inequities.”

European Medicines Agency (EMA) executive director Emer Cooke told the European Parliament that existing vaccines will continue to provide protection.

Andrea Ammon, chair of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), said the cases of Omicron so far confirmed in 10 European Union countries were mild or without symptoms, although in younger age groups.

News of Omicron’s emergence wiped roughly $2 trillion off global stocks on Friday, after it was identified in southern Africa and announced on Nov. 25.

The Pan-European STOXX 600 index, spooked by fears that vaccine resistance https://www.reuters.com/world/how-worried-should-we-be-about-omicron-variant-2021-11-27 might trigger restrictions that would choke off a nascent recovery, was down 0.5% at around 1644 GMT on Tuesday, having fallen as much as 1.5% in early trade. [MKTS/GLOB]

In New York at 1605 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 respectively were down about 1.3% and 1.26%. [USD/] [O/R] [US/]

“There is no world, I think, where (the effectiveness) is the same level…we had with Delta,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told the Financial Times https://www.ft.com/content/27def1b9-b9c8-47a5-8e06-72e432e0838f.

“I think it’s going to be a material drop. I just don’t know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I’ve talked to . . .are like, ‘this is not going to be good’.”

Reuters could not reach Moderna for comment.

The University of Oxford said there was no evidence that current vaccines would not prevent severe disease from Omicron https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/how-fast-does-it-spread-scientists-ask-whether-omicron-can-outrun-delta-2021-11-29, but that it was ready to rapidly update its shot, developed with AstraZeneca, if necessary.

(Graphic: OMICRON VARIANT MAP, https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-VARIANT/zdvxonlxxpx/Omicron.jpg)

LAB TESTS

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said its COVID-19 antibody cocktail and other similar antiviral treatments could be less effective against the latest variant.

EMA’s Cooke said lab tests for “cross neutralisation” would take about two weeks. If there were a need to change COVID-19 vaccines, new ones could be approved within three or four months, she said.

“Vaccination will likely still keep you out of the hospital,” said John Wherry, director of the Penn Institute for Immunology in Philadelphia.

Moderna and fellow drugmakers BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson are already working on vaccines that specifically target Omicron. Moderna has also been testing a higher dose of its existing booster.

BioNTech Chief Executive Ugur Sahin told Reuters that BioNTech and Pfizer’s vaccine was likely to offer strong protection against severe disease from the new variant.

Sahin said he expects lab tests to show some loss of protection against mild and moderate disease due to Omicron but the extent of that loss was hard to predict.

BORDER CONTROLS

But border closures have already cast a shadow over economic recovery with parts of Europe now seeing a fourth wave of infections as winter sets in.

Many of the new travel restrictions have focused, to South Africa’s fury, on banning flights to and from southern Africa.

Japan confirmed its first case of the new variant on Tuesday, in a traveller from Namibia. Australia found that a person with Omicron had visited a busy shopping centre in Sydney while probably infectious.

(Graphic: The spread of COVID-19 variants of concern, https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/VARIANTS/jznpnyoorvl/spread_of_voc.jpg)

Britain and the United States have both pushed their booster programmes in response to the new variant. London said international arrivals would have to self-isolate until they get a negative result in a PCR test.

Greece said vaccination would be compulsory for the over-60s, the group seen as most vulnerable to COVID-19.

Australia on Monday delayed the reopening of its international borders by two weeks, less than 36 hours before foreign students and skilled migrants were to be allowed back.

But in Germany, a current hotspot of the previous significant variant, Delta, the seven-day average infection rate fell slightly for the first time in three weeks after new restrictions to slow transmission.

Sources said chancellor-in-waiting Olaf Scholz supported making vaccination against COVID-19 compulsory and backed barring the unvaccinated from non-essential stores.

Neighbouring Austria, which imposed its fourth full lockdown last week after a surge in infections, also registered a drop.

But France registered its highest daily infection tally since April.

And the Dutch health authority said Omicron was already spreading in the Netherlands, where intensive care beds are running out and measures including restrictions on hospitality have yet to take effect.

The curbs on travellers from southern Africa have highlighted the inequality of vaccine distribution, which may have given the virus more opportunities to mutate.

The passenger liner Europa was docking in Cape Town on Tuesday in what was meant to be the official start of the first cruise ship season in South Africa’s top tourist hub since the pandemic.

After Omicron was discovered while they were at sea, many passengers were expected to fly straight home.

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Omicron: South Africa establishes war room to address effects of travel ban on tourism

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The South African government has established a war room to address the impact on the peak international tourism season.

The country’s tourism sector has been hit hard by the travel ban imposed by nearly 20 countries after the new coronavirus variant Omicron was detected in the country.

To mitigate the effects of the ban on the tourism sector, the country’s tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu convened an urgent meeting with stakeholders on Tuesday.

Sisulu said that the War Room will be meeting on a regular basis to roll out and follow up on practical actions adopted by industry stakeholders to deal with the obstacles and crises that the country’s tourism and hospitality sector face.

The priority is to boost domestic tourism this festive season to secure the livelihoods of people dependent on the sector.

The stakeholders outlined how the red list announcement and consequent reaction from other governments had impacted their existing and future business as South Africa enters its peak inbound international tourism period. President Cyril Ramaphosa, in an address on Sunday, described the travel ban as a knee-jerk reaction that was unfair and discriminatory, just because South African scientists had announced the discovery of Omicron first even while it already existed in several other countries as well.

Rosemary Anderson, National Chairperson of FEDHASA, concurred with this. To be locked down on a semi-regular basis and banned for international travel because of our advanced genomic sequencing capability and low vaccination rates cannot continue. We depend on tourism for jobs and livelihoods, Anderson said.

Delegates said that while scientific certainty surrounding this new variant was awaited, the impact to brand South Africa and the deep tourism value chain has been devastating. There was also a call for South Africans who had not yet been vaccinated to do so urgently as plans are put in place to boost domestic tourism.

–With agency inputs

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WHO warns against blanket travel bans over Omicron coronavirus variant

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Countries should apply “an evidence-informed and risk-based approach” with any travel measures related to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, including possible screening or quarantine of international passengers, but blanket bans do not prevent its spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

The WHO, in its latest guidance to authorities and travellers, said that people over 60 years of age who are not fully vaccinated or do not have proof of previous SARS-COV-2 infection and those with underlying health conditions should be advised to postpone travel as they are at higher risk of disease and death.

First reported in southern Africa a week ago, the variant has brought global alarm, led to travel bans, and highlighted the disparity between massive vaccination pushes in rich nations and sparse inoculation in the developing world.

National authorities in countries of departure, transit and arrival may apply a multi-layered approach to mitigate risk so as to delay or reduce importation or exportation of the Omicron variant, the WHO said on Tuesday.

“Measures may include screening of passengers prior to travel and/or upon arrival, and use of SARS-COV-2 testing or quarantine of international travellers after thorough risk assessment,” it said.

All measures should be commensurate with the risk, time-limited and applied with respect to travellers’ rights, it said.

“Blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods,” it said.

Some 56 countries were reportedly implementing travel measures aimed at potentially delaying import of Omicron as of Nov, 28, it added.

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Japan bans entry of foreign visitors as omicron spreads

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As cases of a new coronavirus variant are confirmed around the world, Japan announced Monday that it will suspend entry of all foreign visitors, joining an increasing number of countries that are tightening their borders as fear spreads of yet another extension of pandemic suffering.

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UK, Germany and Italy detect Omicron variant cases; Israel closes borders

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Britain, Germany and Italy detected cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant on Saturday and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new steps to contain the virus, while more nations imposed restrictions on travel from southern Africa.

The discovery of the variant has sparked global concern, a wave of travel bans or curbs and a sell-off on financial markets on Friday as investors worried that Omicron could stall a global recovery from the nearly two-year pandemic.

Israel said it would ban the entry of all foreigners into the country and reintroduce counter-terrorism phone-tracking technology to contain the spread of the variant.

The two linked cases of Omicron detected in Britain were connected to travel to southern Africa, British health minister Sajid Javid said.

Johnson laid out measures that included stricter testing rules for people arriving in the country but that stopped short of curbs on social activity other than requiring mask wearing in some settings.

“We will require anyone who enters the UK to take a PCR test by the end of the second day after their arrival and to self-isolate until they have a negative result,” Johnson told a news conference.

People who had come into contact with people testing positive for a suspected case of Omicron would have to self-isolate for 10 days and the government would tighten the rules on wearing face coverings, Johnson said, adding the steps would be reviewed in three weeks.

The health ministry in the German state of Bavaria also announced two confirmed cases of the variant. The two people entered Germany at Munich airport on November 24, before Germany designated South Africa as a virus-variant area, and were now isolating, said the ministry, indicating without stating explicitly that the people had travelled from South Africa.

In Italy, the National Health Institute said a case of the new variant had been detected in Milan in a person coming from Mozambique.

Czech health authorities also said they were examining a suspected case of the variant in a person who spent time in Namibia.

Omicron, dubbed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization, is potentially more contagious than previous variants of the disease, although experts do not know yet if it will cause more or less severe COVID-19 compared to other strains.

England’s Chief Medical Officer, Chris Witty, said at the same news conference as Johnson that there was still much uncertainty around Omicron, but “there is a reasonable chance that at least there will be some degree of vaccine escape with this variant”.

The variant was first discovered in South Africa and had also since been detected in Belgium, Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong.

Flights to Amsterdam

Dutch authorities said 61 of around 600 people who arrived in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa on Friday had tested positive for the coronavirus. Health authorities were carrying out further tests to see if those cases involved the new variant.

One passenger who arrived from South Africa on Friday, Dutch photographer Paula Zimmerman, said she tested negative but was anxious for the days to come.

“I’ve been told that they expect that a lot more people will test positive after five days. It’s a little scary the idea that you’ve been in a plane with a lot of people who tested positive,” she said.

Financial markets plunged on Friday, especially stocks of airlines and others in the travel sector. Oil prices tumbled by about $10 a barrel.

It could take weeks for scientists to understand fully the variant’s mutations and whether existing vaccines and treatments are effective against it.

Travel curbs

Although epidemiologists say travel curbs may be too late to stop Omicron from circulating globally, many countries around the world — including the United States, Brazil, Canada and European Union nations — announced travel bans or restrictions on southern Africa on Friday.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State Department added on Saturday to Washington’s previously announced travel restrictions, advising against travel to eight southern African countries.

US Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters on Saturday that the administration will take it “one step at a time,” when asked about additional travel restrictions. “For now we’ve done what we think is necessary,” Harris said.

Also on Saturday, Australia said it would ban non-citizens who have been in nine southern African countries from entering and will require supervised 14-day quarantines for Australian citizens returning from there.

Japan and Britain said they were extending travel curbs to more African countries, while South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Oman, Kuwait and Hungary announced new travel restrictions.

South Africa is worried that the curbs will hurt tourism and other sectors of its economy, the foreign ministry said on Saturday, adding the government is engaging with countries that have imposed travel bans to persuade them to reconsider.

Omicron has emerged as many countries in Europe are already battling a surge in COVID-19 infections, and some have re-introduced restrictions on social activity to try to stop the spread. Austria and Slovakia have entered lockdowns.

Vaccinations

The new variant has also thrown a spotlight on disparities in how far the world’s population is vaccinated. Even as many developed countries are giving third-dose boosters, less than 7 percent of people in low-income countries have received their first COVID-19 shot, according to medical and human rights groups.

Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI Vaccine Alliance that with the WHO co-leads the COVAX initiative to push for equitable distribution of vaccines, said this was essential to ward off the emergence of more coronavirus variants.

“While we still need to know more about Omicron, we do know that as long as large portions of the world’s population are unvaccinated, variants will continue to appear, and the pandemic will continue to be prolonged,” he said in a statement to Reuters.

“We will only prevent variants from emerging if we are able to protect all of the world’s population, not just the wealthy parts.”

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Travel bans aren’t the answer to stopping new COVID variant Omicron

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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There is a global concern and widespread alarm at the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called Omicron. The WHO has classified Omicron as a variant of concern because it has a wide range of mutations. This suggests vaccines and treatments could be less effective.

Although early days, Omicron appears to be able to reinfect people more easily than other strains. Australia has followed other countries and regions including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and the European Union and banned travellers from nine southern African countries.

Australians seeking to return home from southern Africa will still be able to do so. But they will have to enter hotel quarantine and be tested, as will those who have returned from the nine stipulated countries South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique in the past 14 days. But Omicron has already been detected in other regions, including the UK, Germany, Israel, Hong Kong and Belgium. So while a travel ban on southern African countries may slow the spread and buy limited time, it’s unlikely to stop it.

As the Australian government and others act to protect their own citizens, this should be accompanied by additional resources to support countries in southern Africa and elsewhere that take prompt action.

When was Omicron detected?

The variant was identified on November 22 in South Africa, from a sample collected from a patient on November 9.

South African virologists took prompt action, conferred with colleagues through the Network of Genomic Surveillance in South Africa, liaised with government, and notified the World Health Organization on November 24. This is in keeping with the International Health Regulations that guide how countries should respond.

The behaviour of this new variant is still unclear. Some have claimed the rate of growth of Omicron infections, which reflects its transmissibility, maybe even higher than those of the Delta variant. This growth advantage is yet to be proven but is concerning.

Kneejerk response vs WHO recommendations

African scientists and politicians have been disappointed in what they see as a kneejerk response from countries imposing travel bans.

They argue the ban will have significant negative effects on the South African economy, which traditionally welcomes global tourists over the summer year-end period. They note it is still unclear whether the new variant originated in South Africa, even if it was first identified there.

As Omicron has already been detected in several other countries, it may already be circulating in regions not included in the travel ban. Travel bans on countries detecting new variants, and the subsequent economic costs, may also act as a disincentive for countries to reveal variants of concern in future.

The WHO does not generally recommend flight bans or other forms of travel embargoes. Instead, it argues interventions of proven value should be prioritised: vaccination, hand hygiene, physical distancing, well-fitted masks, and good ventilation. In response to variants of concern, the WHO calls on all countries to enhance surveillance and sequencing, report initial cases or clusters, and undertake investigations to improve understanding of the variant’s behaviour.

Omicron must be taken seriously. Its features are worrying, but there are large gaps in our current knowledge. While further analyses are undertaken, the variant should be controlled with testing, tracing, isolation, applying known public health measures, and ongoing surveillance.

What can wealthier countries do to help?

Wealthy countries such as Australia should support African nations and others to share early alerts of potentially serious communicable disease threats, and help mitigate these threats.

The panel recommended creating incentives to reward early response action. This could include support to: Establish research and educational partnerships
Strengthen health systems and communicable disease surveillance.
Greatly improve vaccine availability, distribution, and equity.
Consider financial compensation, through some form of solidarity fund against pandemic risk.

Boosting vaccine coverage is key

Vaccines remain the mainstay of protection against the most severe effects of COVID-19. It’s unclear how effective vaccines will be against Omicron, but some degree of protection is presumed likely. Pfizer has also indicated it could develop an effective vaccine against a new variant such as Omicron within 100 days or so.

COVID’s persistence is partly attributable to patchy immunisation coverage across many parts of the world, notably those least developed. South Africa itself is better off than most countries on the continent, yet only 24 percent of the adult population are currently fully vaccinated. For the whole of Africa, this drops to only 7.2 percent. Greater global support is urgently needed to boost these vaccination rates.

African institutions and leaders, supported by global health and vaccine experts, have argued for mRNA vaccine manufacturing facilities on the African continent. These would prioritise regional populations, overcome supply-chain problems, and respond in real-time to emerging disease threats. Yet developing nations face significant barriers to obtaining intellectual property around COVID-19 vaccine development and production.

While there is still much to learn about the behaviour and impact of Omicron, the global community must demonstrate and commit real support to countries that do the right thing by promptly and transparently sharing information.

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Saudi Arabia to lift travel ban on Indians from December 1; check details

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Saudi Arabia is lifting the travel ban on expats arriving from six countries, including India, from December 1. The kingdom had banned the entry of international travellers in February to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections.

People from Pakistan, Vietnam, Brazil, Indonesia and Egypt will also be allowed to directly travel to Saudi Arabia, Arab News reported.

As per the directives of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior, fully-vaccinated passengers from these six countries will be allowed to enter the kingdom directly without having to spend 14 days in transit outside their countries.

Also read: WHO calls special meeting as new COVID-19 variant in South Africa raises concerns

However, a five-day quarantine outside Saudi Arabia is mandatory for entrants irrespective of their vaccination status, the ministry said.

All procedures and measures would be continuously evaluated by the kingdom’s health authorities.

As a preventive measure, expatriates should undergo all health measures to make sure they are free from the infection.

Also read: New COVID variant: Asian and European countries rush to tighten curbs

Entry to Saudi Arabia had resumed on January 3, 2021, before it was banned again in the wake of a global surge in COVID-19 cases linked to variants detected in Britain, South Africa, and Brazil. In February, Saudi Arabia had banned the entry of travellers from the US, Britain, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, UAE, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Ireland, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Japan to prevent the COVID-19 infection from spreading. However, medical staff, diplomats and their families were exempted from the ban and allowed to enter the kingdom.

Also read: EU to recommend 9-month limit on COVID-19 vaccine for travel: Report

Travellers, who transited in any of these 20 countries in the 14 days before coming to Saudi Arabia, were also banned from entering the country.

The kingdom had first banned flights to and from the country on March 14, 2020, following the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the coronavirus outbreak was a pandemic.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow