European countries, where Omicron is now dominant, are still banning travel from South Africa for fear of importing Omicron.
The Omicron variant, first detected by South Africa's Network for Genomic Surveillance just 29 days ago, has been found in at least 38 of the 53 member states of the World Health Organisation European Region.
"We can see another storm coming. Omicron is becoming, or already has become, dominant in several countries, including in Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom, where its numbers are doubling every one and a half to three days, generating previously unseen transmission rates," "Within weeks, Omicron will dominate in more countries of the region, pushing already stretched health systems further to the brink.
For its service to global health and safety in first identifying Omicron in late-November, South Africa was met with a flurry of international travel bans. Direct flights to and from South Africa have been suspended. Only European nationals and residents have been allowed to return. Mandatory – and costly – quarantine measures have been reintroduced.
More than R1 billion worth of travel bookings to South Africa were cancelled in the 48 hours following the identification of Omicron. And despite the United Kingdom, which led the charge in reimposing travel bans, recently scrapping its red list, South Africa's economy stillNow, the European Union , which implored member states to restrict travel from South Africa and neighbouring countries, is changing its tune.
that the EU was urging member states to drop the"inefficient" travel ban. But member states are reluctant.