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KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia has lifted a travel ban on eight southern African countries that had been among the first to report the Omicron variant of the coronvirus, citing the greater spread of the variant worldwide, its health minister said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, authorities would cut the wait time for booster vaccine doses amid concerns over the spread of Omicron, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin told reporters. Authorities have detected 306 suspected Omicron cases out of 366 samples from travellers who had tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival between Dec. 21 and 25, he said. “… Continue reading “Malaysia lifts African travel ban, cuts booster wait amid Omicron fears”

By David Shepardson (Reuters) – The Biden administration will lift travel restrictions on eight southern African countries imposed last month over concerns about the fast-spreading COVID-19 Omicron variant, a senior administration official told Reuters. Foreign nationals who are barred from the United States because they have been in one of the eight countries within the prior 14 days will again be allowed on U.S.-bound flights leaving after 12:01 a.m. ET on Dec. 31, the official added. The United States on Nov. 29 barred nearly all non-U.S. citizens who had recently been in South Africa, Bots… Continue reading “Exclusive-U.S. to lift travel curbs on eight African countries – source”

Dr. Gama Bandawe. Photo credit: Malawi University of Science and Technology. Used with permission. In August 2021, Dr. Gama Bandawe, a Malawian scientist, warned of the likelihood of a coronavirus variant that could result from huge numbers of people not accessing coronavirus vaccines. I just want to go on record to say that the large numbers of unvaccinated people in many parts of Africa make it extremely likely that there’s going to be a deadly variant that will emerge from the continent that will cause lots of further drama across the globe.Thank you — Gama Bandawe (@GamaBee) July 31, 2021 … Continue reading “Malawian scientist who forewarned about Omicron-type variant speaks out”

The Immigration Bureau and the Ministry of Public Health are tracking about 783 African travellers who have entered Thailand since Nov 15. They want to test them for the Omicron coronavirus variant. The African visitors are believed to be in tourist destinations including Bangkok. The immigration police and the ministry are also maximising Covid-19 control measures at the airports. From Nov 15 until last Saturday, a total of 333 people from eight southern African countries, currently banned by several countries from entering, have entered Thailand. The countries are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho… Continue reading “Govt searches for African visitors”

TOKYO: Japan announced plans Monday to bar all new foreign travellers over the Omicron variant of Covid-19, joining a growing list of countries trying to erect virtual fortresses against the heavily mutated new strain. G7 health ministers are set to meet later in the day to discuss the new strain — first detected in South Africa — and the fresh challenge it poses to global efforts to battle the pandemic. The Japanese government has become the latest country to reinstate strict border controls that many had hoped would be a thing of the past, barring all new foreign arrivals just weeks after an… Continue reading “Japan slams borders shut as world races to stem new Covid variant”