US officials are halting travel from 8 countries out of concern about what they don’t yet know
Biden will receive in-person Covid-19 briefing today
From CNN’s Allie Malloy
President Biden, first lady Jill Biden and their children and grandchildren have boarded Air Force One in Nantucket, ending their Thanksgiving vacation.
Biden returns to the Capitol where he will receive a briefing on Covid-19 and the Omicron variant this afternoon.
“This afternoon, the President will have an in-person briefing with members of his Covid-19 response team and chief medical advisor to the President Dr. Fauci to provide an update on the Omicron variant and the administration’s response,” a White House official said.
This Welsh rugby team was unable to depart South Africa following one suspected Omicron case
From CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite in London
Cardiff Rugby has been unable to depart South Africa following two positive cases of Covid-19, one of which is suspected to be the new Omicron variant, the team said Sunday in a statement.
The Welsh team had hoped to leave Cape Town on Sunday afternoon, but due to the two positive results of the PCR tests undertaken Saturday night, “the entire travelling party have returned to their hotel to isolate,” the statement read.
CNN has reached out to Cardiff Rugby for clarity on the suspected case.
The world is in a “race against time” with the Omicron variant, EU commission president says
From CNN’s Eleanor Pickston
The world is in a “race against time” with the Omicron coronavirus variant, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday during a visit to Riga, Latvia.
The European Union is taking the threat posed by the Omicron variant “very seriously,” adding that it will take scientists and manufacturers two to three weeks “to get a full picture of the quality of the mutations,” she said.
Von der Leyen stressed that it should be countries’ “highest priority” to vaccinate their citizens and administer boosters. She also emphasized the importance of mask-wearing, hand hygiene, and social distancing to “buy time” until more is known about the Omicron variant.
Some context: So far, 65.9% of the European Union population is currently fully vaccinated, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control dashboard on Sunday.
Travel bans targeting Africa threaten “global solidarity,” WHO Africa director says
From CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for Africa said Sunday that it stands with African nations and called for borders to remain open as an increasing number of countries around the world impose flight bans on Southern Africa due to concerns over the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
The office said countries should take a risk-based and scientific approach and put in place measures that can limit its possible spread.
With the Omicron variant now detected in several regions of the world, “putting in place travel bans that target Africa attacks global solidarity,” WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said.
“Covid-19 constantly exploits our divisions. We will only get the better of the virus if we work together for solutions,” Moeti added.
Travel restrictions may play a role in slightly reducing the spread of Covid-19 but “place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.
If restrictions are implemented, they should not be unnecessarily invasive or intrusive, and should be scientifically based, according to the International Health Regulations which is a legally binding instrument of international law recognized by over 190 nations,” WHO Africa said in a statement, adding that WHO is “scaling up” support to genomic sequencing in the continent.
“The speed and transparency of the South African and Botswana governments in informing the world of the new variant is to be commended. WHO stands with African countries which had the courage to boldly share life-saving public health information, helping protect the world against the spread of Covid-19,” Moeti said. “On the eve of a special session on pandemic preparedness I urge all countries to respect their legal obligations and implement scientifically based public health actions. It is critical that countries which are open with their data are supported as this is the only way to ensure we receive important data in a timely manner.”
Some context: WHO announced Friday that it had designated the newly identified coronavirus variant, B.1.1.529, as a variant of concern, named Omicron.
A WHO official told CNN Friday that travel bans on travelers from Southern African nations over concerns about the spread of a new Covid-19 variant are “draconian measures” that might stop future scientists from coming quickly with news of new variants.
Third case of the Omicron variant detected in the United Kingdom
From CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite
Another case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant has been confirmed in the United Kingdom, the Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said Sunday in a statement.
As of 8 a.m. (3 a.m. ET) on Sunday, there have been three cases of Covid-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 confirmed in the UK, the agency said.
The individual tested positive after traveling to the UK and is linked to travel to southern Africa, the agency said, adding that the person “is no longer in the UK, but the UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive case visited when they were likely to have been infectious”.
The agency said that while in the UK, the individual was in Westminster, London, England.
On Saturday: The UK Department of Health said the first two cases of the Omicron variant had been detected in England, in Essex and Nottingham. Targeted testing and contact tracing is now underway, the department said in a news release.
Morocco will suspend all incoming air traffic for 2 weeks
From CNN’s Mitch McCluskey and Kareem Khadder
Morocco has announced the suspension of all global incoming air flights to the kingdom starting Nov. 29 for two weeks, Morocco’s state-run news agency MAP reported.
“The suspension of all incoming travel flights to the Moroccan Kingdom for two weeks, starting tomorrow Monday Nov. 29, 2021 at 23:59 pm, and this decision comes due to the spread of new Covid-19 variant ‘Omnicron,’” MAP tweeted.
Earlier, Morocco announced that it will restrict entry to nationals from South Africa and other southern African countries in addition to passengers who are transiting through these countries in an effort to curb the spread of the new variant.
Indonesia to limit travel from southern African countries to combat spread of Omicron variant
From CNN’s Masrur Jamaluddin
Indonesia will refuse entry of foreign nationals traveling from eight southern African countries in an effort to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant, Indonesia’s Immigration Department said on Sunday in a press release.
The measure, which will go into effect on Monday, will ban entry of foreign nationals who visited South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Eswatini and Nigeria within the last 14 days, the statement said.
Indonesian citizens who travel from those countries will have to quarantine for 14 days upon returning to Indonesia.
The government will also temporarily stop issuing new visas to the citizens of the above countries, the statement added.
Germany confirms third case of Omicron variant
From CNN’s Fred Pleitgen and Martin Goillandeau
A third case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant has been detected in Germany.
The latest case was detected in the central German state of Hesse. The previous two were detected in Munich, Bavaria.
“The sequencing has confirmed the result — the suspected case announced yesterday morning is the Omicron variant,” Hesse’s Minister of State for Social Affairs and Integration Kai Klose tweeted.
The Hessian Ministry for Social Affairs and Integration said in a statement the patient entered Germany via Frankfurt Airport from South Africa on Nov. 21.
“The person is fully vaccinated. She had developed symptoms over the week and then had a test. Then she was isolated at home, ” Klose said in the statement.
The Health Ministry told CNN on the phone the passenger developed symptoms a few days after she landed in Germany.
Biden restricts travel from South Africa and 7 other countries starting Monday
From CNN’s Kaitlan Collins
President Joe Biden announced Friday the US will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries starting Monday as a new coronavirus variant has emerged.
Acting on advice from the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Biden administration will restrict travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.
Biden on Friday night signed the official proclamation restricting the travel of those “physically present” in the countries during the “14-day period preceding their entry, or attempted entry into the United States.”
The proclamation includes a list of those exempted from the new restrictions, including US citizens, lawful permanent residents and noncitizens who are the spouses of citizens or permanent residents.
It says it will remain in effect until terminated by the President and will not apply to any flights scheduled to arrive in the US that depart prior to 12:01 a.m. EST on Monday.
The decision to restrict travel comes as the federal government is still attempting to learn more about the new variant, named Omicron. They need to see more sequencing, but after discussing what they’ve seen so far, officials decided to halt travel from these other countries out of concern about what they don’t yet know.
Biden was briefed Friday on the new coronavirus variant circulating in southern Africa, he said in the announcement.
Read more here.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/new-covid-variant-south-africa-11-28-21
