COVID-19: Countries Shut Borders with S.Africa over New Variant B.1.1.529

Many countries tightened their travel restrictions after a new coronavirus variant B.1.1.529 was identified in southern Africa earlier this week.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has mentioned that it would take a few weeks to understand the impact of the new variant, noting that scientists are working to determine how transmissible it is.

Cases have mainly been confirmed in South Africa, but have also been detected in Hong Kong, Israel, Botswana and Belgium.

On his part, British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Friday that it is "highly likely" to have spread to other countries.

Japan

Following the discovery of a new coronavirus variant there, Japan will tighten restrictions on travelers from South Africa and five nearby countries, according to the government's top spokesman.

"We have seen reports that it might be more transmissible (than other variants) and that the effectiveness of vaccines against it might be uncertain," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.

"So we have decided to take utmost precaution," he told a press conference, assuring that no cases of the variant had been discovered in Japan.

Nevertheless

Nevertheless has temporarily halted flights from these southern African nations; South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), and Lesotho.

France

On Friday, France suspended flights arriving from the southern African region for 48 hours with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen proposing an air travel halt amid rising concern about the new variant.

China

Over 500 flights from Shanghai's two major airports were cancelled on Friday, and some schools shut and tour groups suspended after three coronavirus cases were reported in Shanghai.

Beijing has largely succeeded in controlling the spread of the coronavirus within its borders through travel restrictions and snap lockdowns, but frequent domestic flare-ups have tested its no-tolerance strategy in recent months.

The three positive cases are friends who travelled to the nearby city of Suzhou together last week, Shanghai health authorities said at a press conference Thursday evening -- adding that all had been fully vaccinated.