In the face of the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus, border closures are “deeply unjust, punitive and ineffective,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday, speaking of a form of “apartheid and anti-good” It is preferable for more tests to be performed on travelers.
“With this borderless virus, travel restrictions isolating a country or region are not just deeply unfair and punitive, they are ineffective,” Guterres told a news conference, calling the “condemnation” a “scandal”. Africa, where the percentage of the vaccinated population is still very low.
Referring to South Africa, which briefed the rest of the world on the detection of the Omicron variant on November 24 and sees one country after another closing its borders to its citizens, the UN chief stressed that countries should not suffer a “collective punishment because they identified and shared critical scientific and health data with the world. ” This is “unfair”, it is “immoral”, he insisted.
“I make a very strong appeal — an appeal to common sense. We have all the tools to travel safely. “Let us use these tools to avoid this kind of apartheid, let me say, which I find unacceptable.”
“In this time of pandemic and climate crisis, Africa is being condemned for not having the vaccines it needs for its people. Africa is being condemned for not having the financial resources to revive its economies. “Africa is being condemned, without being responsible for climate change, for suffering the worst effects of climate change, without having the resources to strengthen the resilience of its people,” he said.
At his side, the chairman of the African Union Commission, Musa Faki Mahamat, in turn denounced the “unjustified stigmatization” of the African continent. “Because it has been transparent (…), the whole of southern Africa is subject to sanctions,” he said, referring to border closures for citizens of peripheral states.
And this at a time when “less than 6% of Africans have been vaccinated,” he said, calling for more international solidarity to increase the percentage of the population protected by COVID-19.
“I urge all governments to look into the need for repeated testing of travelers, as well as other measures that will be appropriate and truly effective,” said Antonio Guterres. “This is the only way to reduce the risk of transmission and at the same time allow travel and financial exchanges,” he explained.
The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has already spread to all continents, but European countries seem to be hardest hit and have begun, like other countries in the world, to tighten health restrictions, announce border controls, impose travel bans on the countries of southern Africa, make the use of the mask again compulsory in transport and shops, etc ..
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