South Africa says UK travel ban over variant 'rushed'

South Africa's foreign ministry has said Britain's decision to ban flights from South Africa because of the detection of a new Covid-19 variant "seems to have been rushed" as even the World Health Organization is yet to advise on the next steps.

Britain said the variant was considered by scientists to be the most significant one yet found and so it needed to ascertain whether or not it made vaccines ineffective. Health minister Sajid Javid said the new variant "may be more transmissible" than the Delta strain and "the vaccines that we currently have may be less effective".

At the moment, around 500 and 700 people are travelling to the UK from South Africa each day, but it is expected this figure could increase as the Christmas period begins. The variant has not yet been given the title "variant of concern" in the UK, but one senior UK Health Security Agency expert said: "This is the worst variant we have seen so far.

I think these are decisions that you have to rush. You’d rather be wrong than right!

I'm refusing every South African covid cert in my coffee shop today 🤡

Close the Schools and cancel the Leaving Cert for both 5th and 6th years before it gets worse.

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Concerns raised about new Covid-19 variant detected by South African scientistsAs many as 90 per cent of new cases in SA’s Gauteng province could be B.1.1.529 Can we impose strict rules for travel and mandatory hotel quarantine for arrivals from all of the effected countries IMMEDIATELY! Like the UK announced last night restriction are already in place. Can we not dither and procrastinate on this one for 3 weeks! Action needed now! Some chancers
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