Qatar Airways has said it is suspending flights to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique with immediate effect due to the spread of new Covid-19 variant B.1.1529, which the WHO has named Omicron and designated a “variant of concern.”
QA, however, has said it will continue to accept passengers for travel into these countries in line with current restrictions.
Passengers who are booked on Qatar Airways flights from airports in all three countries, including cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Harare, and Maputo, will not be accepted for travel, local reports have said.
QA is expected to continue to review the situation on a daily basis.
The restriction on travelers and flights will reportedly remain same until further notice from the WHO.
The United Kingdom, the US, Japan, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, Egypt, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Jordan are among those countries that have imposed restrictions on flights and travelers from south African nations in light of the Omicron variant.
South Africa, however, has said these travel bans are akin to punishment for it reporting the new variant in a timely fashion.