EU: 27 unanimously suspend flights to / from South African countries due to … mutation

LAST UPDATE: 19.19

The 27 member states of the European Union have agreed to temporarily suspend flights to and from countries in southern Africa as a precautionary measure against a new coronavirus mutation first detected in Botswana, the Slovenian government announced on Friday afternoon. EU Presidency.

“A committee of health experts from all 27 countries” agreed that there is a need to activate the emergency mechanism and impose a temporary ban on any travel to EU member states from the wider region of South Africa, “the EU Presidency said via Twitter. , as noted by Reuters.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had earlier said she wanted to halt air travel from South Africa to counter the spread of the new COVID-19 variant.

The new variant of the coronavirus has been identified in South Africa, which, according to scientists, is a cause of concern due to the large number of mutations and its rapid spread to young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.

A similar decision was announced by the government of Switzerland, a country that participates in the Schengen area.