Posted on Dec 1, 2019 2021 at 12:26Updated Dec 1, 2019 2021 at 16:54
“No panic, but maximum vigilance”. The strategy of Paris vis-à-vis the Omicron variant exposed this Wednesday by French government spokesman Gabriel Attal could sum up the state of mind on a global scale. Travel restrictions continue to tighten, waiting to learn more about the worrying new variant of Covid-19.
France: more recent test for visitors from outside the EU
France will impose a negative test on all travelers, even vaccinated, coming from a country outside the European Union (EU). Unvaccinated from an EU country will also have to test negative within 24 hours, compared to 72 hours currently. The same requirement for vaccinated travelers “arises”, said Gabriel Attal, specifying that the government is seeking “European coordination” on this subject and that a “decision will be taken by the end of the week”.
Paris will, moreover, resume certain flights with southern Africa, isolated by many countries since the appearance of Omicron. But the supervision will be “extremely strict and drastic”, insisted Gabriel Attal. The ten countries (including South Africa, Mozambique, Mauritius, etc.) will integrate a new “scarlet red” category. Only European nationals, diplomats and flight personnel will be able to reach French soil from these countries. It will be forbidden to go there, whatever the reason.
· EU: “compulsory vaccination” on the table
At the European level, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen believes that the subject of compulsory vaccination requires “a common approach”, even if such a decision rests with the Member States. It is “appropriate and reasonable to have this discussion now,” she said.
Austria is to date the only country in the EU to want to impose anti-Covid vaccination, from 1is February 2022. In Germany, a bill to this effect should be tabled in Parliament by the end of the year. The subject has also torn South Africa since the appearance of the Omicron variant on its soil.
· United States: towards a hardening of tests and quarantines?
Across the Atlantic, entry conditions should tighten, less than a month after the reopening of borders. Joe Biden is expected to announce this Thursday measures to delay the appearance of Omicron on his soil.
The White House has confirmed that it plans to require all visitors to take a negative PCR test up to 24 hours before departure, up from 72 hours currently. It could also impose another test three to five days after arrival. The ” Washington Post »Indicates that a more controversial track is also debated: to impose a quarantine of 7 days, whatever the result of the test, under penalty of penalties.
Despite all these precautions, the Omicron variant has already been detected on all continents: the Netherlands, Portugal, Brazil, Peru, Hong Kong, Australia… Its spread to the whole planet is therefore only a matter of time, argued Tuesday the World Health Organization (WHO), which considers these travel bans unnecessary.
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