South Africa dismayed at global travel ban over Omicron, calls it 'punishment for honesty'

South Africa said on Saturday that it was being punished for its advanced scientific ability that detected the new Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus with relatively much larger mutations that have since spread to Belgium, Botswana, Israel, Hong Kong, and until recently the UK. South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, in a statement on November 27 lamented the abrupt global travel bans and sweeping restrictions imposed on South African travellers due to the Omicron variant panic.

“This latest round of travel bans is akin to punishing South Africa for its advanced genomic sequencing and the ability to detect new variants quicker,” the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said.

“Excellent science should be applauded and not punished,” it continued. 

Had it been another country, global reaction 'would have been starkly different': SA

Accusing the world of discrimination, South Africa purported that had any other country detected the first confirmed case of the Omicron variant, the global reaction “would have been starkly different.” On Friday the World Health Organisation that named B.1.1.529 strain as Omicron, declared it a “variant of concern” [VOC]. South Africa, earlier yesterday, stated that it was dismayed at the global stigma that it has suffered in the past 48 hours for detection of omicron as West and other parts of the world rushed to ban flights from southern Africa. "Excellent science should be applauded and not punished,” South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said. 

"New variants have been detected in other countries. Each of those cases have had no recent links with Southern Africa, yet the global reaction to those countries is starkly different to cases in southern Africa,” a statement by South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation read on Saturday. 

"Stop this unscientific knee-jerk travel bans against Africa," tweeted Deputy director at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Ahmed Ogwell. "Use evidence for #covid19pandemic - public health measures, testing, vaccines. Travel bans is politics. Politics won't solve pandemics."

Slamming the travel restrictions as "draconian", causing"panic" and "misdirected" measures, South Africa appeared to propose that such hasty norms were "against what’s been advised by the WHO”. "We feel some of the leadership of countries are finding scapegoats to deal with what is a worldwide problem," meanwhile, South Africa’s Health Minister Joe Phaahla told African news agencies, condemning the bans as “politics”. Leading virologist in South Africa who announced the discovery of the Omicron variant, derided countries for border closures, stressing that it will “hurt”  the travel and tourism sector, and the businesses,” adding that this might deter other countries from reporting future variants upon the discovery as they would fear “being punished.” 

Image: AP