The director of Anvisa Alex Campos, responsible for the area of ports, airports and borders, reinforced in an interview to CNN this Friday (26) the need to restrict flights to countries that had cases in the new variant of the coronavirus.
According to Campos, Anvisa hopes that the restrictions recommended this Friday morning by the agency “are made with the speed that the situation demands. WHO defined the new variant as “of concern”.
Anvisa had recommended this Friday morning the restriction of flights to six African countries: South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe, where the variant B.1.1.529 had been identified.
New cases have already been reported in other places, such as Israel, Hong Kong and Belgium. The European Commission has also recommended flight restrictions to the 27 countries that make up the block.
Campos also stated that the restriction of flights at the beginning of the spread of cases around the world “is the cheapest and simplest instrument” to avoid contagion and its effects and “to resume activities”.
“Anvisa recognizes that the measures impact economic issues. However, Anvisa’s role is one of health recommendation, it is what is at the base of our competence, the health of our population”, he stated.
He acknowledges that the world is still knowing how to handle the case, but said the opening of European countries was too hasty. “The pandemic is not over and the new variant sheds light on this debate. Europe shows that abandoning pharmacological measures was not the right measure”.
Reference: CNN Brasil
