Boris defends ban on arrivals from African countries

Boris defends ban on arrivals from African countries
Boris defends ban on arrivals from African countries

Boris Johnson today warned that it is still not clear how 'dangerous' Omincron is as ministers dismissed accusations of 'travel apartheid' over the UK's ban on arrivals from African countries.

The PM defended the government's response to the emergence of the variant, saying the restrictions on states where it had been detected was 'decisive'.

And he rejected the idea that the move to impose pre-departure tests on those coming to Britain was 'shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted'. 

The comments came after Nigeria's high commissioner to London backed the UN Secretary General's view that measures imposed by nations against large parts of Africa amounted to 'travel apartheid'. 

But in a round of interviews, policing minister Kit Malthouse said that was 'very unfortunate language' and the government is only trying to 'buy time' to assess the variant.

After US health chiefs have said they are re-evaluating the ban amid initial signs the strain might be less severe than Delta, Mr Malthouse insisted ministers will be 'informed by what comes out around the world'. 

On a trip to Merseyside this morning, Mr Johnson was asked whether the government had acted too late in demanding travellers to the UK take pre-departure tests.

'No, I think what we're doing is responding to the pandemic,' he said.

'We were the first country in the world to take decisive measures to tackle Omicron. We put about 10 countries automatically, immediately, on to the red list and we said that anybody coming from any country in the world would have to quarantine for a couple of days.

'We're now going further and toughening those measures up as we see the spread of Omicron around the world.

Boris Johnson (on a visit to Merseyside today) defended the government's response to the emergence of the variant, saying the restrictions on states where it had been detected was 'decisive'

Boris Johnson (on a visit to Merseyside today) defended the government's response to the emergence of the variant, saying the restrictions on states where it had been detected was 'decisive'

Mr Johnson rejected the idea that the move to impose pre-departure tests on those coming to Britain was 'shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted' (pictured, Heathrow airport)

Mr Johnson rejected the idea that the move to impose pre-departure tests on those coming to Britain was 'shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted' (pictured, Heathrow airport)

'It doesn't look there's a great degree of severity': Dr Fauci says Omicron may be LESS dangerous than Delta

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci says early indications from South Africa suggest that the Omicron variant may not be as severe as previously feared. 

'Thus far - though it's too early to really make any definitive statements about it - it does not look like there's a great degree of severity to it, but we've really got to be careful before we make any determinations that it is less severe or really doesn't cause any severe illness comparable to delta,' he said. 

'But thus far, the signals are a bit encouraging regarding the severity. But again we've got to hold judgement  until we get more experienced.'

President Joe Biden locked eight South African countries out of the US last Monday in fear of the new super mutant COVID variant, and the ban remains in place despite travel remaining open to other foreign countries.

But Fauci said Sunday that the restrictions were made during a time when an explosion of Omicron cases were rocking South Africa as the severity of the variant remained unknown.

He said US officials are now reevaluating the restrictions. 

'When the ban was put on, it was put to give us time to figure out just what is going on,' Fauci told CNN's Jack Tapper.  

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'I don't think we need to change the overall guidance and advice we're giving about Omicron in this country. We're still waiting to see exactly how dangerous it is, what sort of effect it has in terms of deaths and hospitalisations.'

Earlier, Nigerian high commissioner Sarafa Tunji Isola told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'The reaction in Nigeria is that of travel apartheid. Because Nigeria is actually aligned with the position of the UN secretary-general that the travel ban is apartheid, in the sense that we're not dealing with an endemic situation, we are dealing with a pandemic situation and what is expected is a global approach, not selective.'

He added: '(Omicron) is classified as a mild variant – no hospitalisation, no death. So the issue is quite different from the Delta variant. I mean, the position has to be taken based on scientific and empirical evidence. It is not a kind of panicky situation.'

But Mr Malthouse said: 'It's very unfortunate language to use.

'We understand the difficulties that's created by these travel restrictions, but we're trying to buy a little bit of time so that our scientists at Porton Down can work on the virus and assess how difficult it's going to be for us to cope with as a country.'

Meanwhile, laws requiring masks in shops and on public transport look set to stay until the New Year, as ministers try to fend off demands for tougher restrictions in the run up to Christmas.

Emergency regulations last week reintroduced mandatory masks until December 21 to help slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

A final decision on whether to extend their use may not be taken until as

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