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At least 32 countries implement flight restrictions per Ômicron variant

November 27, 2021
4:09 PM

With the world on alert for the first information on the Ômicron variant, identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a strain of “concern”, several countries announced restrictive measures for travelers from southern African countries, where the variant was identified .

Second survey (see list below) made by CNN and updated this Saturday (27), at least 32 nations have already announced full or partial blockades.

The list includes Brazil: on Friday (26), the chief minister of the Civil House, Ciro Nogueira, stated that the country will close air borders to six African countries starting next Monday (29). The restriction will affect passengers from: South Africa, Botswana, Swatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

According to the Brazilian government, the decision was taken jointly and will be signed by the Civil House, Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. The determination has not yet been published in the Federal Official Gazette.

So far, there are no records of the variant in Brazil. However, the director-president of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), Antonio Barra Torres, told the CNN that there is a possibility that the Ômicron variant is already circulating in the country.

The United States has also claimed to have no records of Omitron so far, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In Europe, the situation is different. On Friday, Belgium reported the continent’s first case of the new variant. This Saturday, it was the UK’s turn to identify two confirmed cases of Omitron infection.

“These individuals are isolating themselves with their families while more testing and contact tracing is underway,” wrote the country’s Health Secretary, Sajid Javid.

In the Netherlands, authorities are focusing on testing 61 positive cases of Covid-19 identified on a flight from South Africa. The travelers who tested positive were placed in isolation at a hotel near Schiphol, the Netherlands.