The Omikron variant is now spreading around the world, having first been discovered in South Africa.
Due to the increased fear that the new and highly contagious virus variant will spread further, Sweden’s ambassador to South Africa is now asking all Swedish citizens to leave the country immediately.
– We encourage everyone to rebook the tickets as soon as possible, so you are not stranded. If you are going home in 14 days, make sure to book a new ticket as soon as possible. We do not know what it will be like in two weeks, says Juholt according to SvD.
250 Norwegians
TV 2 has been in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which states that 250 people have stated that they are in either South Africa or one of the neighboring countries.
The figures are from Saturday, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that it is voluntary to register. Therefore, there may be more who are in the African countries.
So far, the Norwegian authorities have not made the same appeal as the Swedes.
– We introduced new travel advice on Friday, where we advise against all travel to South Africa. For the time being, we do not advise Norwegians to leave the country immediately, says spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ane Haavardsdatter Lunde.
Contacted by worried Norwegians
The advice given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Norwegians in the African countries is to follow the local infection control councils, and follow developments closely in the international media.
– Everyone is encouraged to register in the Travel Ready app. Then we can give them updated information from the Norwegian authorities, if the situation changes, says Haavardsdatter Lunde.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that they receive many inquiries from worried Norwegians, who want to travel abroad.
– Then we advise them to contact their insurance companies, about how they can travel home and cover expenses, the spokesperson says.
–
