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Dutch, Australian find omicron variant, others restrict travel

THE HAGUE, Netherland – The Netherlands confirmed 13 new cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus on Sunday and Australia found two as countries half a world apart became the latest to detect it. in travelers from southern Africa.

Israel decided to ban entry for foreigners and Morocco said it would suspend all incoming flights for two weeks starting Monday – the most drastic action yet imposed by countries around the world. Travel restrictions are on the rise as they try to slow the spread of the variant, just days after it was identified by researchers in South Africa.

The “act first, question later” approach reflects growing alarm about the emergence of a more contagious variant that some fear could perpetuate a pandemic that has already killed. more than five million people.

But many experts warn that much is still unknown about the new strain of bacteria – and the World Health Organization calls for keeping borders open, noting that closures often have limited effect. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the US National Institutes of Health, stressed that there is currently no data to show that the new variant causes more severe illness than previous COVID-19 variants. It is also not known whether it is resistant to vaccine protection.

“I actually think it’s more contagious when you look at how quickly it’s spread through many counties in South Africa. So it has the striking feature of being particularly capable of being spread from person to person. What we don’t know is if it can compete with plain,” Collins said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Collins said the news will prompt people to redouble their efforts to use the tools the world already has, including vaccinations, booster shots and measures like wearing masks.

The Dutch public health authority confirmed that 13 people arriving from South Africa on Friday have so far tested positive for omicrons. They were among 61 people who tested positive for the virus after arriving on the last two flights to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport before the flight ban was implemented. They were immediately placed in quarantine, mostly at a nearby hotel.

Australian authorities say two visitors to Sydney from Africa have become the first in the country to test positive for the new variant. Guests arriving from nine African countries are now required to isolate in hotels upon arrival. Two German states reported a total of three cases of returning travelers over the weekend.

Israel moved to ban entry for foreigners and mandate quarantine for all Israelis arriving from abroad.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting: “Restricting the country’s borders is not an easy step, but it is a temporary and necessary step.

Dr Ran Balicer, head of the government’s advisory panel on COVID-19, told Israel’s Kan public radio that new measures were needed amid the “fog of war” surrounding the variant. new, saying “it is better to act early and rigorously” to prevent its spread.

Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted on Sunday that all flights to the North African country would be suspended to “preserve the achievements that Morocco has made in the fight against the pandemic and to protect the health of its citizens.” Morocco has been at the forefront of vaccination in Africa, and closed its borders for months in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US expert on infectious diseases, said he wouldn’t be surprised if the omicron variant was present in the US, although it has yet to be detected there.

The US plans to ban travel from South Africa and seven other South African countries starting Monday. “It will give us some time to ramp up our preparations,” Fauci said of ABC’s “This Week” ban.

Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said he had asked his country’s public health institute for advice on whether further travel restrictions were needed, but he wanted to coordinate with his colleagues. European Union level.

Many other countries have restricted or banned travel from various South African countries – among the latest to do so are New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates United Arab Emirates. This goes against the advice of WHO, which has warned of any overreaction before the variant is thoroughly studied.

The South African government has reacted angrily to the travel bans, which it says is “like punishing South Africa for its advanced genetic sequencing and ability to detect new variants more quickly.” It said it would try to convince the countries that had imposed them to reconsider.

The WHO released a statement saying it “stands with African countries” and called for keeping borders open. “Travel restrictions can play a role in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 but create a burden on lives and livelihoods. If restrictive measures are taken, they must not be intrusive. or intrusive unnecessarily and must be based on science,” it said.

In Europe, much of which has struggled with a sharp rise in cases in recent weeks, officials have been wary.

The UK on Saturday tightened regulations on mask wearing and testing international arrivals after two omicron cases were detected, but UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government was unable to reschedule. work from home or more severe social imbalances.

He told Sky News: “We know now that those kinds of measures come at a very high price, both in economic and social terms, in terms of non-COVID health outcomes, such as the impact on mental health.

Spain has announced it will no longer accept unvaccinated British visitors starting December 1.

Italy is reviewing the list of air passengers who have arrived in the past two weeks after a business traveler returning from Mozambique and landing in Rome on 11 November tested positive for omicrons. The Lazio region’s top health official, Alessio D’Amato, said that “control measures at airports, ports and train stations have been strengthened.”

French Health Minister Olivier Veran said that although his country has no confirmed cases, “it is likely that there are currently circulating cases.”

While it remains unclear how existing vaccines work against the omicron variant, Veran said France has not changed its strategy to combat the latest surge in infections caused by the concentrated delta variant. in the promotion of vaccinations and immunizations.

David Hui, a respiratory medicine expert and government adviser on pandemics in Hong Kong, agreed with that strategy.

He said two people who tested positive for the omicron variant had been vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and had very mild symptoms, such as a sore throat.

“Vaccines should work, but there will be some reduction in effectiveness,” he said.

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Moulson reported from Berlin. Zen Soo in Hong Kong, Adam Schreck in Bangkok, and Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

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