“We take this Omikron variant very seriously and know that we are now in a race against time,” she said on a visit to Latvia on Sunday. The Italian government had previously requested preventive measures across Europe.
“We have to buy time”
Von der Leyen said it took scientists and manufacturers two or three weeks to get a complete picture of the mutation. The top priority, however, is to keep your distance, reduce contacts and vaccinate as much as possible. “We have to buy time,” she said. “The general motto is: hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
Von der Leyen also said that the European Union was “on the safe side” with regard to the vaccine. The contract with Biontech / Pfizer for the purchase of up to 1.8 billion corona vaccines therefore includes a clause according to which the manufacturers can adapt the corona vaccine to new mutations within 100 days.
London convenes G7 health ministers meeting
The UK has called an emergency meeting of G7 health ministers on Monday on the Omikron affair. This was announced by the Ministry of Health in London on Sunday evening. Great Britain currently chairs the group of G7 countries, which also includes Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Japan and the USA.
Strategy at European level
The Italian State Secretary for Health Pierpaolo Sileri announced an EU response to the new mutation. “We will work out a containment strategy at European level in the next 24-48 hours,” he said, according to the media on Sunday. “It was the right decision by Italy to block flights from some African countries. Now, however, Community decisions are needed on new restrictions. We could reintroduce the obligation to double-cut entry and post-quarantine, but only for those who do come from countries where the virus variants exist, not for individual cases, “explained Sileri.
After Omikron cases have been confirmed in several European member states, they are already subject to travel restrictions themselves. Morocco announced that it would also stop all air traffic from Europe from Monday. The Philippines imposed a landing ban for seven European countries, including Austria, with immediate effect. Israel also closed itself off.
Sharp criticism from South Africa
South Africa, however, strongly criticized the travel restrictions because of the new variant. “These restrictions are unfair discrimination against our country and our sister states,” said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in a televised address on Sunday evening. It is a clear departure from the declaration made at the G20 summit in Rome to help underdeveloped states cope with the impact of the pandemic on their economies.
Ramaphosa called for his country to help produce vaccines instead. There is no scientific basis for the restrictions because travel is safe provided that vaccinations, negative PCR tests and the wearing of masks on board are observed. The South African government had previously indicated that local scientists had sequenced and identified the new variant. “Outstanding science should be praised, not punished,” said a statement from the Ministry of International Relations. “We also note that new variants have been discovered in other countries. None of these cases had a connection to South Africa,” it said.
Source From: Nachrichten
