UN Secretary General Calls Travel Ban Due To Omicron Variant Of Coronavirus Unfair And Ineffective

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. (Source: UN Photo/Evan Schneider)

JAKARTA - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced Wednesday's travel ban, targeting certain countries and regions for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, calling it "unfair" and "ineffective."

"With the virus truly borderless, travel restrictions that isolate a single country or region are not only grossly unfair and punitive, they are also ineffective," Guterres told a news conference, suggesting increased testing for travelers.

Dozens of countries have imposed travel restrictions from southern African countries, after the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was first reported in the region last week.

The UN secretary-general said countries that had reported the emergence of new strains should not be "collectively punished for identifying and sharing important science and health information with the world."

He repeated calls for the government to implement additional testing measures for travelers, "along with other appropriate and truly effective measures."

"This is the only way to reduce the risk of contagion while allowing travel and economic engagement."

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has determined the overall risk of the Omicron variant to be 'very high', but the WHO Director for Africa has also spoken out against the ban on travelers from the continent, saying it "strikes global solidarity."

Officials in South Africa said they were "punished" for identifying the strain of the virus that has now been detected everywhere from the Netherlands to the UK, Canada, and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera accused Western countries of "Afrophobia."