South Africa said on Friday that imposing travel restrictions on it because of a newly identified Covid-19 variant was unjustified, after a British ban on flights from southern African countries that others have followed. Health Minister Joe Phaahla told a media briefing that South Africa was acting with transparency and travel bans were against the norms and standards of the World Health Organization (WHO), which held an emergency meeting over the variant. Britain said the variant was the most significant found yet after banning flights from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia. European Union states have also agreed to suspend travel to southern Africa after the detection of a new Covid-19 variant, the presidency of the EU said on Friday. In South Africa, about 35 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated, higher than in most other African nations, but half the government’s year-end target.

Source: Indian Express November 27, 2021 06:04 UTC