The National Coronavirus Command Council is set to meet today, Saturday 27, following the travel bans locking South Africa out of many parts of the world.
“The National Coronavirus Command Council meeting which was earlier announced as scheduled for Sunday, 28 November 2021, has been brought forward to Saturday, 27 November,” the presidency said.
This follows the announcement of the new COVID-19 super variant, dubbed Omnicron that has been classed as a variant of concern. This variant was detected in South Africa and announced on Thursday.
Following the news, travel bans started to fall like dominos, with the UK being the first to announce restrictions and several other countries following suit including many European countries and the USA.
The NCCC’s meeting also follows scientists expressing that the travel bans were premature and unjustified, as IOL reports.
Navigating this potential fourth wave is emerging as a more urgent matter than the government may have initially preempted following the announcement of the variant detection.
South Africa was largely looking forward to a positive economic upturn this December largely reliant on tourism. Now, contingency plans need to be put in place to curb the economic implications as well as chartering socio-health precautions in our country after much of regularities part of life before COVID-19 were set to return this summer.
Additionally, speculations surrounding another lockdown have also come to light that yet another lockdown could be on the horizon.
Of the variant, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has already classified it as a ‘variant of concern’ and urged countries to enhance its surveillance of the new variant.
“Alongside vaccination, the wearing of face masks, frequent washing or sanitation of hands, keeping a social distance and the avoidance of gatherings remain a proven, effective means of stopping or slowing the spread of coronavirus infection. The virus has not been eradicated and vaccination protects us from serious illness, hospitalisation or death,” says the WHO.
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