South African foreign ministry objects to Omicron travel bans

naledi pandor
(Image credit: EDUARDO MUNOZ/POOL/AFP)

South Africa should not be "punished" for having the medical expertise that enabled its early detection of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, the country's Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement Saturday. South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor also expressed concerns that travel restrictions targeting South Africa and other southern African countries would negatively impact business and tourism, Reuters reports.

Dr. Angelique Coetzee, who chairs the South African Medical Association and was the first to alert public health authorities to Omicron's existence, told The Telegraph that the symptoms of the new strain she has observed have been "unusual but mild."

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Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.