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world news Diasabra 27 November 2021

New omicron variant stokes world fears, triggers travel bans

(AP) — The discovery of a new tumbled in Asia, Europe and the
coronavirus variant sent a chill United States. The Dow Jones In-
through much of the world Friday dustrial Average dropped more than
as nations raced to halt air travel, 1,000 points. The S&P 500 index
markets fell sharply and scien- was down 2.3%, on pace for its worst
tists held emergency meetings to day since February. The price of oil
weigh the exact risks, which were plunged nearly 12%.
largely unknown.
“The last thing we need is to bring in a
A World Health Organization panel new variant that will cause even more
named the variant “omicron” and problems,” German Health Minister
classified it as a highly transmissible Jens Spahn said. The member nations
virus of concern, the same category of the EU have experienced a massive
that includes the delta variant. The spike in cases recently.
WHO suggested the variant could
pose greater risks than delta, which EU Commission President Ursula
is the world’s most prevalent variant von der Leyen said flights will have
and has fueled relentless waves of in- to “be suspended until we have a
fection on every continent. clear understanding about the danger
posed by this new variant, and travel- from Johannesburg were also being there’s any kind of mention of any
Early evidence suggests an increased ers returning from this region should isolated and tested. kind of variation and everyone is clos-
risk of reinfection compared to oth- respect strict quarantine rules.” ing borders and restricting travel,”
er highly transmissible variants, the “It’s ridiculous. If we didn’t catch the Ryan said. “It’s really important that
WHO said. That means people who She insisted on extreme caution, dreaded bug before, we’re catching we remain open and stay focused.”
contracted COVID-19 and recovered warning that “mutations could lead it now,” said passenger Francesca de’
could be subject to catching it again. to the emergence and spread of even Medici, a Rome-based art consultant The Africa Centers for Disease
more concerning variants of the virus who was on the flight. Control and Prevention agreed and
In response, the United States and that could spread worldwide within a strongly discouraged any travel bans
Canada joined the European Union few months.” Some experts said the variant’s emer- on countries that reported the new
and several other countries in insti- gence illustrated how rich countries’ variant. It said past experience shows
tuting travel restrictions on visitors Belgium became the first European hoarding of vaccines threatens to that such travel bans have “not yield-
from southern Africa. Union country to announce a case of prolong the pandemic. ed a meaningful outcome.”
the variant.
The White House said the U.S. will Fewer than 6% of people in Africa Yet the U.S. announced restrictions
restrict travel from South Africa and “It’s a suspicious variant,” Health have been fully immunized against on visitors from South Africa, Bo-
seven other countries in the region Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said. COVID-19, and millions of health tswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Leso-
beginning Monday. It did not give “We don’t know if it’s a very danger- workers and vulnerable popula- tho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Ma-
details except to say the restrictions ous variant.” tions have yet to receive a single lawi, hours after governments took
will not apply to returning U.S. citi- dose. Those conditions can speed up similar steps.
zens or permanent residents, who It has yet to be detected in the United spread of the virus, offering more op-
will continue to be required to test States, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the portunities for it to evolve into a dan- The U.K. banned flights from South
negative before their travel. U.S. government’s top infectious gerous variant. Africa and five other southern Afri-
disease expert. Abroad, the variant can countries at noon on Friday and
Medical experts, including the “seems to be spreading at a reason- “This is one of the consequences of announced that anyone who had re-
WHO, warned against any overreac- ably rapid rate,” he told CNN. And the inequity in vaccine rollouts and cently arrived from those countries
tion before the variant that originated although it may be more transmis- why the grabbing of surplus vaccines would be asked to take a coronavirus
in southern Africa was better under- sible and resistant to vaccines than by richer countries will inevitably re- test.
stood. But a jittery world feared the other variants, “we don’t know that bound on us all at some point,” said
worst nearly two years after COV- for sure right now.” Michael Head, a senior research fel- Canada banned the entry of all for-
ID-19 emerged and triggered a pan- low in global health at Britain’s Uni- eigners who have traveled to south-
demic that has killed more than 5 Showing how complicated the spread versity of Southampton. He urged ern Africa in the last two weeks.
million people around the globe. of a variant can be, the Belgian case Group of 20 leaders “to go beyond
involved a traveler who returned to vague promises and actually deliver The Japanese government announced
“We must move quickly and at the Belgium from Egypt on Nov. 11 but on their commitments to share dos- that Japanese nationals traveling from
earliest possible moment,” British did not became sick with mild symp- es.” Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Bo-
Health Secretary Sajid Javid told law- toms until Monday, according to pro- tswana, South Africa and Lesotho will
makers. fessor Marc Van Ranst, who works The new variant added to inves- have to quarantine at government-
for the scientific group overseeing the tor anxiety that months of progress dedicated accommodations for 10
There was no immediate indication Belgian government’s COVID-19 containing COVID-19 could be re- days and take three COVID-19 tests
whether the variant causes more response. versed. during that time. Japan has not yet
severe disease. As with other vari- opened up to foreign nationals.
ants, some infected people display Israel, one of the world’s most vac- “Investors are likely to shoot first
no symptoms, South African experts cinated countries, announced Fri- and ask questions later until more is Fauci said U.S. public health officials
said. The WHO panel drew from the day that it also detected its first case known,” said Jeffrey Halley of for- were talking Friday with South Afri-
Greek alphabet in naming the variant of the new variant in a traveler who eign exchange broker Oanda. can colleagues. “We want to find out
omicron, as it has done with earlier, returned from Malawi. The traveler scientist to scientist exactly what is
major variants of the virus. and two other suspected cases were In a sign of how concerned Wall going on.”
placed in isolation. Israel said all three Street has become, the market’s so-
Even though some of the genetic were vaccinated, but officials were called fear gauge known as the VIX The WHO’s technical working group
changes appear worrisome, it was un- looking into the travelers’ exact vac- jumped 48% to a reading of 26.91. says coronavirus infections jumped
clear if the new variant would pose a cination status. That’s the highest reading for the 11% in the past week in Europe, the
significant public health threat. Some volatility index since January, before only region in the world where CO-
previous variants, like the beta vari- After a 10-hour overnight trip, pas- vaccines were widely distributed. VID-19 continues to rise.
ant, initially concerned scientists but sengers aboard KLM Flight 598 from
did not spread very far. Capetown, South Africa, to Amster- Speaking before the EU announce- The WHO’s Europe director, Dr.
dam were held on the edge of the ment, Dr. Michael Ryan, head of Hans Kluge, warned that without ur-
The 27-nation European Union im- runway Friday morning at Schiphol emergencies at the WHO, warned gent measures, the continent could
posed a temporary ban on air travel airport for four hours pending spe- against “knee-jerk responses.” see an additional 700,000 deaths by
from southern Africa, and stocks cial testing. Passengers aboard a flight “We’ve seen in the past, the minute the spring.