Dubai International Airport (DXB)-based Emirates has suspended flights to three African countries until further notice. In a statement from the Gulf State carrier issued on November 27, 2021, Emirates says it is suspending flights to South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe from Saturday, November 27, 2021.
In the travel, advisory Emirates says that any ticketed passengers who were due to fly to Southern Africa or from Southern Africa to Dubai should call Emirates immediately. Alternatively, they can hold onto their tickets and contact Emirates once flights to Southern Africa resume.
The UAE bans people from seven African countries
The move by Emirates to suspend flights follows the United Arab Emirates (UAE) decision to ban entry into the country from seven Southern African nations:
- South Africa
- Namibia
- Botswana
- Zimbabwe
- Mozambique
- Lesotho
- Eswatini (Swaziland)
The ban was placed over concerns about a new variant of the COVID-19 virus that the World Health Organization has named “Omicron.” UAE neighbors Bahrain and Saudia Arabia have also banned all flights from the above countries and says they will remain in place until more is known about the new strain.
Israel has banned foreigners
Fear of virility of the new strain and how effective current vaccines are against it prompted the State of Israel to issue a 14-day travel ban on foreigners entering the country. Israeli citizens can travel back to Israel but must quarantine upon their arrival.
There is a shortage of real-world data about the new COVID-19 variant in a rapidly developing situation that leads countries to make knee-jerk reactions. Despite not having scientific evidence to back up decisions, governments have been forced to act, fearing doing nothing may be far worse. It is kind of like deciding to marry a person after only being on one date, except in this instance, the stakes are much higher.
However, we know that Omicron has at least ten mutations instead of the Delta variants two. This means that, in theory, at least it is more contagious, a trait we are now seeing play out in South Africa. Also, the current vaccines that we have developed to tackle the virus that came out of Wuhan, China, maybe ineffective because of the number of mutations. Two other things we do not yet know about Omicron are how transmissible it is and whether or not it is milder or more severe than former variants of the virus.
Do we need a new vaccine?
The COVID-19 vaccines we currently have were developed to train the body to attack the spike protein in the original Wuhan strain. The antibodies that the vaccine gives you work similarly to how a NASCAR pit crew services the car. In the case of Omicron, though, the parts of the vehicle are all in different places making the mechanics job even more difficult.
Drug companies say that they can adapt the current vaccines to fight against Omicron, but it will take time. For now, they recommend giving people a booster shot of the current vaccines
even if they are imperfect. While it is still too early to know whether governments are over or under-reacting to the threat of Omicron, they cannot just do nothing, and in the end, the correct answer will only come with hindsight.
Given that the UAE banned people on flights from Southern Africa from entering the country, Emirates had no choice but to suspend flights.
What do you think about Emirates decision? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.
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