The extension of the Omicron strain leads countries to regain entry restrictions on travelers and even tighten them
The appearance of the Omicron variant and its rapid spread has led several countries to tighten or regain precautions that will make international travel difficult. Without establishing vetoes such as those approved for African countries where the new strain seems more widespread, the need to require additional tests from tourists and, in some countries, from residents themselves upon their return home is beginning to be appreciated.
France decided this Wednesday to strengthen its border controls, concerned about the increase in Covid-19 infections in its territory and the appearance of the new variant in the world. And the most striking measure refers to community citizens. For unvaccinated travelers from a Member State of the European Union, Paris will require a negative coronavirus test carried out less than 24 hours before the border.
“The question arises of the obligatory nature of a negative test for travelers (not vaccinated) from the European Union”, said the government spokesman, Gabriel Attal, at a press conference. The French Executive trusts that there will be “a European coordination” in this regard and hopes that “a decision will be taken between now and the weekend.”
For travelers from non-EU countries, “we have decided to establish a mandatory negative test of less than 48 hours to enter France, whether these travelers are vaccinated or not,” announced Attal after the meeting of the Council of Ministers.
Unlike other countries that have been forced to confine their population in the face of the rebound in the pandemic, the French Government is committed to the booster dose of the vaccine, greater use of the mask and the COVID certificate to break the chains of contamination and stop contagions. This Wednesday, 47,177 new cases of coronavirus were detected, a level never reached since last spring. France registered a first confirmed case of the Omicron variant on the island of La Reunion, an overseas territory located in the Indian Ocean, and there are currently 13 other suspected cases throughout the territory.
The new strain could be circulating uncontrollably for months. This Wednesday Nigeria confirmed its first cases of Omicron and announced that among them was a sample of travelers who arrived in the country in October. “Retrospective sequencing of previously confirmed cases among travelers to Nigeria also identified the Omicron variant among the sample collected in October 2021,” the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said in a statement, without giving details about the traveler.
America protects itself
Traveling to the United States will be even more difficult. Joe Biden’s government has not yet announced the new measures, but the infectious disease control center (CDC) admitted on Wednesday that it is preparing a review of the requirements that will “strengthen the robust protocol” already in place to international travelers.
According to what has been leaked to the press, everyone, whether residents or foreigners, will have to submit a negative test taken 24 hours before the flight, which will significantly complicate international travel that requires stopovers and increase the testing business. that are made at airports. Until now, those taken in the 72 hours before were accepted and Americans and permanent residents were exempted, for whom it was enough to present the vaccination card, mandatory for tourists or those who travel with a visa. In addition, everyone would have to repeat the test three to five days after landing. Those not vaccinated may have to undergo a week’s quarantine, a recommendation already made by the CDC.
The latest variants have shown that the virus does not distinguish documentation. Biden plans to explain it to his citizens today, knowing that it will not serve to prevent the Omicron variant from reaching the country. “We will buy time to vaccinate more people and it will have a substantial impact on our ability to detect the virus before it arrives,” Vivek Murthy, director general of Public Health, told CNN.
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