Omicron alert, in the Netherlands 13 passengers tested positive for the variant. As Israel closes its borders: government actions after the first cases

The varante Omicron It’s more and more scary. Of the 61 passengers who arrived in Amsterdam yesterday from South Africa and tested positive for Covid, 13 has been defined boom. “The analysis is not over yet,” they say from the Dutch National Institute of Health. “The new variant can be found in more samples.” Passengers who are in quarantine have been isolated at a hotel near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. After the announcement of 13 Omicron cases, Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge asked returnees from South Africa to undergo testing “as soon as possible”. “It is not unreasonable that there are other cases in the Netherlands,” he said.

The situation in England

London has responded, to the Omicron variant, by enforcing mask obligation in shops and buses, and reintroduced the duty of molecular testing and even score quarantine for anyone entering British soil (in short, borders have been shielded). Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which has so far chosen an extra line flexible, seems to have changing strategy. There is a fear of reviving last year’s nightmare. stretched too red list of flights, adding four more African countries, which are now a total of ten. Meanwhile, Switzerland, as a precaution, has canceled the World Trade Organization ministerial conference, scheduled for next week.

Israel, Czech Republic and Australia

On the other hand, Israel has gone much further by completely closing its borders to prevent the arrival of passengers infected with the Omicron variant. Meanwhile, a suspected case has been reported in the Czech Republic, two in Australia for passengers arriving from South Africa.

What is the European Union doing?

In the meantime, the EU may think of one in the next few hours strategy common to avoid the spread of the new variant of Corona virus disease; Meanwhile, individual governments are seeking cover (Italy, for example, has related flights from some African countries). The fear that has affected the whole world, even if it is not known at the moment to what extent and whether the alternative Omicron has actually reached Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy is really dangerous ( first patient The Italian is an employee of Eni from Caserta who works in Mozambique and has already infected his entire family). in brussels, European Commission The president said the emergency brakes, which led to the ban on flights from South Africa, decided to expedite third doses of vaccines, but also with tests and tracking who comes from the most vulnerable areas. Ursula von der Leyen. In short, there is no more time to lose and in the next few hours we will work to “deepen the sequence of the variable”. And finally, South Africa is protesting against the ban on flights, Accuse Western governments for “punishing” the country rather than praising it for finding the new mutation of the virus. And vaccination rates between the European Union and Africa are ruthless: in the European Union and the United States of America 60 percent of the population appears to have been immunized by COVID-19 7 percent dell’Africa.

Cover photo: EPA / ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN

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