Ómicron: The countries that have closed their borders due to the new variant of the coronavirus

Borders that are closing again and cases that are spreading little by little: the omicron variant of the coronavirus, detected in South Africa, generates new limitations and fears around the world.

SIGHT: Ómicron: What is known about the new “variant of concern” of the coronavirus?

Meanwhile, the WHO takes the floor to warn about this variant and to prepare the ground for the global response against future pandemics.

CLOSED BORDERS

Israel was last midnight the first country in the world to impose a strict border closure to shield itself against the omicron, of which there are already two confirmed cases in the country.

Along these lines, Japan today decided to close its borders again except for the return of its citizens and foreign residents, an “urgent” measure taken in response to the new omicron strain of which, for now, no infections have been detected in the country.

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Japan thus opts for a new shield against the spread of the new variant that already affects Europe and other regions of the world, and only three weeks after the Asian country began to partially relax its border restrictions that had been in force for months due to the pandemic.

The Philippine authorities announced on Monday the suspension of the opening of their borders without quarantine to tourists vaccinated against covid-19, a measure that was to take effect on December 1, due to the new omicron variant of the coronavirus.

SIGHT: Ómicron: Japan announces the closure of its borders to foreign visitors due to the new variant of the coronavirus

Meanwhile, Australia delayed the partial opening of the borders to qualified workers and foreign students vaccinated from December 1 to 15 on Monday after detecting four cases of the new omicron variant of covid-19.

On the European Union, the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, affirmed this Monday that the internal borders of the EU will not be closed despite the increase in epidemic pressure and the appearance of the new variant of the coronavirus identified in the south from Africa.

“Our weapon is the health certificate” that it is already necessary to move from one country to another, said Beaune who, regarding the external borders of the EU, said that France is committed to “a coordinated device” with the other community partners.

AFRICAN REJECTION

The president of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, joined the resounding criticisms of these days against the travel restrictions and bans imposed on southern Africa after the detection of the omicron variant and affirmed that the measures against the covid must be based “on science , not in Afrophobia ”.

SIGHT: South Africa’s annoyance at the “unjustified” international reaction to the new variant of the coronavirus detected in the country

“We are all concerned about the new covid variant and we owe South African scientists our thanks for identifying it before anyone else.”Chakwera, who also serves as president of the block of countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said last night through Facebook.

OMICRON EXTENDED

Portugal confirmed today the detection of covid cases of the variant omicron. There are thirteen football players from Belenenses, who are active in the Portuguese First Division.

SIGHT: Portugal detects its first 13 cases of the new omicron variant in Belenenses footballers

South African footballer Cafu Phete, who belongs to this squad, returned to Portugal last Sunday, November 22, after playing two games with his country’s national team.

Another six cases of omicron coronavirus have been identified in different areas of Scotland while in England there are already three.

Australia confirmed this Monday two new infections, with which there are already four identified in the country and Austria has reported this Monday the first case of infection with the omicron variant in its territory, a person who had returned from a trip to South Africa and who does not have any symptoms of the disease.

In Asia, the Hong Kong health authorities reported a new case of the variant, with which there are already three in that territory.

WHO ACTS

The global risk posed by the new omicron variant of the coronavirus it is “very high,” the World Health Organization warned today in a technical report on this new strain of SARS-CoV-2.

Taking into account the high mutations of omicron, with the potential to be more resistant to immunization and more contagious, the risk that the variant will be transmitted worldwide is “high”, said the document, written this Sunday but made public today by WHO.

Faced with these risks, the WHO calls on its member states to take certain priority actions, including “accelerating vaccination, especially among the population at risk that remains unvaccinated.”

In addition, the WHO today opened an extraordinary assembly in which the member countries will negotiate the possible signing of a treaty to prepare and respond to future pandemics, with the aim of not repeating the mistakes made during the current global health crisis.

For three days, the main health officials of the 192 member states will debate the text of the treaty, of which there is already a draft, according to diplomatic sources.

It is the second time in history that the WHO has held an extraordinary assembly, which according to the organization shows the urgency of reaching an international consensus.

For their part, the G7 Health Ministers, the most developed economies, meet this Monday from 12.30 GMT to analyze strategies against the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

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Deshawn