Rwanda has become the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to impose a ban on inbound and outbound flights to southern African countries in the wake of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron.
The new variant was first reported in South Africa last week, with cases subsequently detected in several countries, and many governments have moved swiftly to reimpose flight restrictions.
In a press statement, the country’s prime minister, Dr. Édouard Ngirente, said that after an extraordinary Cabinet meeting, it was resolved that “direct flights between Rwanda and southern Africa are temporarily suspended”.
The countries affected by the ban are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Monday that the new variant poses a “very high” risk globally.
Even if the new strain proves to be less deadly than previous ones, it could put more pressure on hospitals if it spreads more easily,…
Source: Linda Ikeji
