The South African government indicated that it has noted the announcements by several countries to institute temporary travel restrictions on South Africa and other countries in the region.
According to a statement by International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Naledi Pandor the SA government respect the right of all countries to take the necessary precautionary measures to protect their citizens.
“While we respect the right of all countries to take the necessary precautionary measures to protect their citizens, we need to remember that this pandemic requires collaboration and sharing of expertise.
“Our immediate concern is the damage that these restrictions are causing to families, the travel and tourism industries and business,” said International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Pandor said.
Also read: These are the countries that have placed travel restrictions on SA
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also pleaded with world leaders not to engage in knee-jerk reactions and has cautioned against the imposition of travel restrictions.
“We’ve seen in the past, the minute there’s any kind of mention of any kind of variation and everyone is closing borders and restricting travel. It’s really important that we remain open, and stay focused,” WHO Head of Emergencies, Dr Michael Ryan indicated.
Frustration at Cape Town International after passengers flights were cancelled due to countries blocking flights coming from South Africa @TimesLIVE @CapeTownTourism @capetownint @Tourism_gov_za pic.twitter.com/66q0uewasT
— Esa Alexander (@ezaap) November 27, 2021
In the meantime, President Cyril Ramaphosa will convene the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) on Sunday, 28 November, to assess developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, including scientific updates around the newly detected coronavirus variant.
Also read:
Mauritius to suspend flights from several countries from Monday
Picture: Cape{town}etc gallery
