WHO issues a warning as governments hurry to impose travel restrictions
Christian Lindmeier, WHO spokeswoman, told a UN briefing in Geneva that governments should adopt travel measures using a "risk-based and scientific approach."
As many European countries hurry to impose travel restrictions in response to worldwide concern over a new coronavirus type, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned countries on Friday against such premature actions. Christian Lindmeier, WHO spokeswoman, told a UN briefing in Geneva that governments should adopt travel measures using a “risk-based and scientific approach.”
“At this time, imposing travel precautions are being advised against,” said a representative for the UN health office. “The WHO recommends that governments continue to implement travel measures in a risk-based and scientific manner.”
Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and France have placed travel restrictions on planes arriving from a number of South African countries. While Germany will prohibit most travel from South Africa and “likely neighboring countries,” Italy will bar admission to anybody who has recently visited South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, or Swaziland.
For the next 48 hours, France has suspended all flights from southern Africa.
South Africa has a new coronavirus type, and these countries have banned flights.
Meanwhile, WHO has stated that it will provide additional instructions to governments on how to deal with the viral variety. On Friday, the UN health agency summoned a conference of specialists to determine whether the new strain is a variety of interest or a variant of concern.
According to Lindmeier, determining the variant’s impact will take a few weeks, and researchers are working to assess how transmissible it is and how it will affect medicines and vaccinations.
Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs, told a regular media briefing that he doesn’t have any current information on the government’s plans. He stated that the issue of travel restrictions should be addressed by the health and civil aviation authorities.
“This is an ongoing situation. We just finished watching a WHO briefing. I don’t have any current knowledge about the next moves we’ll take. This is more of a concern for our health and civil aviation authority “he stated
