South Africa Slams "Draconian, Unjustified" Travel Bans
"We believe that some of the reactions have been unjustified," Health Minister Joe Phaahla told a news conference, accusing some leaders whom he did not name of seeking a "scapegoat."
South Africa's health ministry on Friday attacked Europe's rush to impose travel bans to slow the spread of a new Covid variant as "draconian," unscientific and contrary to WHO advice.
"We believe that some of the reactions have been unjustified," Health Minister Joe Phaahla told a news conference, accusing some leaders whom he did not name of seeking a "scapegoat."
The B.1.1.529 strain has been blamed for a surge in fresh cases in South Africa, but has already cropped up in Hong Kong, Belgium and Botswana.
Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands among others on Friday joined Britain in suspending flights from the region.
The European Commission, the executive arm of the 27-nation European Union, also proposed a complete suspension of flights to and from southern Africa until there was a "clear understanding about the danger" that it said was posed by the new variant.
However, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday urged against travel curbs at this stage.
The agency cautioned that it could take several weeks to find out whether the newly-discovered mutations made the virus more virulent or transmissible.
Phaala said that bans were "a wrong approach -- it's misdirected and goes against the norms and advice by the WHO."
"We feel some of the leadership of countries are finding scapegoats to deal with what is a worldwide problem," he said.
Drawing comparisons of daily infections between South Africa and some European countries, the minister said the move "really doesn't look scientific."
While he was concerned at the rise of daily infections from around 300 two weeks ago, to nearly 3,000 on Friday, it was ironic that "some of the countries... now reacting in this draconian manner" had infection rates of upwards of 50,000 per day.
"That kind of reaction is knee-jerk and panic," he said.
Such responses could prompt countries to shy away from reporting new findings, he warned.
"It's a very counter-productive reaction because what it says is if you have the capability to do genomic sequencing and have high level of efficiency, ... those capabilities must be driven underground," said the minister.
People will "feel that it is a risk to disclose" their findings, he argued.
The restrictions have sent shockwaves through South Africa's tourist industry, which has been looking to visitors from the wealthier northern hemisphere to bring in desperately-needed income.
"We believe that some of the reactions have been unjustified," Health Minister Joe Phaahla told a news conference, accusing some leaders whom he did not name of seeking a "scapegoat."
The B.1.1.529 strain has been blamed for a surge in fresh cases in South Africa, but has already cropped up in Hong Kong, Belgium and Botswana.
Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands among others on Friday joined Britain in suspending flights from the region.
The European Commission, the executive arm of the 27-nation European Union, also proposed a complete suspension of flights to and from southern Africa until there was a "clear understanding about the danger" that it said was posed by the new variant.
However, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday urged against travel curbs at this stage.
The agency cautioned that it could take several weeks to find out whether the newly-discovered mutations made the virus more virulent or transmissible.
Phaala said that bans were "a wrong approach -- it's misdirected and goes against the norms and advice by the WHO."
"We feel some of the leadership of countries are finding scapegoats to deal with what is a worldwide problem," he said.
Drawing comparisons of daily infections between South Africa and some European countries, the minister said the move "really doesn't look scientific."
While he was concerned at the rise of daily infections from around 300 two weeks ago, to nearly 3,000 on Friday, it was ironic that "some of the countries... now reacting in this draconian manner" had infection rates of upwards of 50,000 per day.
"That kind of reaction is knee-jerk and panic," he said.
Such responses could prompt countries to shy away from reporting new findings, he warned.
"It's a very counter-productive reaction because what it says is if you have the capability to do genomic sequencing and have high level of efficiency, ... those capabilities must be driven underground," said the minister.
People will "feel that it is a risk to disclose" their findings, he argued.
The restrictions have sent shockwaves through South Africa's tourist industry, which has been looking to visitors from the wealthier northern hemisphere to bring in desperately-needed income.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
