The British government has said it will add six African countries to the “red list” of travel. According to the health minister, from midday on Friday (26), flights from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe will be temporarily suspended.
In addition, travelers from these countries to the UK must be quarantined.
The decision came after scientists in the country expressed concern about the new variant of Covid-19, B.1.1.529. Officials say the mutation is the most “challenging” so far.
Officials have advised the government on the need to act quickly and proactively if concerns about the strain’s impact are confirmed, although it could take weeks to generate all the necessary information about its characteristics.
The UK Health Safety Agency said no cases of the variant had been detected in Britain.
Israel also banned travel
This Thursday (25), Israel announced that it will ban its citizens from traveling to South Africa – in addition to banning the entry of travelers from the region.
South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Swaziland were added to the list of “red” or higher risk trips.
Israelis returning home from these countries will be required to spend 7-14 days in a quarantine hotel upon arrival.
A variant B.1.1.529
Scientists say the newly identified variant that has spread to South Africa is of concern as it has twice as many mutations as the Delta variant – including some associated with evasion of the immune response.
The UK Health Security Agency said the mutation has a different peak protein than the original coronavirus on which the vaccines are based. And this can prevent the immune response generated by both the previous infection and the vaccination.
The variant has a “very unusual constellation” of mutations, which are of concern because they can help to ward off the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible, said South African scientists who detected the B.1.1.529 mutation.
Cases of the strain have been identified in South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong.
* With information from Reuters
Reference: CNN Brasil
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