A new COVID variant discovered in southern Africa is making EU countries consider suspending flights from the region
The European Union that is currently experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections is considering suspending flights from southern African countries to prevent the spread of the newly discovered COVID variant that has been described as more infectious whilst also being unaffected by existing vaccines. The newly discovered strain that has quite a number of mutations has been noticed in South Africa and is widely spreading in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.
The proposal to stop flights from the region may be enacted as early as Friday night as the European nations are trying to be proactive in limiting factors that can aggravate the COVID situation they are currently experiencing. With countries like Germany passing the 100,000 deaths mark on Thursday, the situation on the continent is almost dire with this new wave of infections.
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The countries are seeking to emulate the United Kingdom that has already banned flights from South Africa and five other countries in the southern African region on Friday and requires anyone who arrives from those countries to take a COVID test.
