Covid-19 new variant : UK suspends flights from six African countries

On the Thursday, UK has announced its intensions to ban travels from six southern African countries, after South Africa detected a new Covid-19 variant.

[Read] Government says it has noted the announcement by the United Kingdom (UK) to temporarily ban all flights from the Southern parts of Africa, including South Africa, from entering the UK due to the detection of a new Coronavirus variant, B.1.1.529.https://t.co/oZhpSgTs88 pic.twitter.com/gltsbDiYGP

— @SAgovnews (@SAgovnews) November 26, 2021

Indeed, South African scientists have detected a new variant of the coronavirus.

Qualified as worrying, this variant has a high number of mutations and is spreading rapidly, particularly in the province of Gauteng.

Cases have also been found in Botswana and Hong Kong in travelers from South Africa.

The coronavirus changes as it spreads. Some of the new variants are disappearing and others are evolving in worrying ways.

South African Minister of Health Joe Phaahla on Thursday announced that the number of new cases of Covid-19 had increased dramatically.

[Read] @HealthZA Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, has confirmed that a new COVID-19 variant has been detected in South Africa https://t.co/mNRzV1HS8n #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/sYEx0KW6eF

— @SAgovnews (@SAgovnews) November 25, 2021

This announcement provoked radical reactions.

As in the United Kingdom where Minister of Health Sajid Javid announced the ban on British travel to six countries in southern Africa including South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini and Zimbabwe.

All flights from these countries will be suspended from 1200 GMT on Friday, November 26, 2021.

Source: AfrikPage