UN Chief Guterres: the world cannot be “closed” due to the omicron strain of coronavirus
stop international travel and economic interaction due to the omicron strain of the coronavirus, said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He called for stronger control measures against the spread of the new version of COVID-19 instead of global isolation, Reuters reports.
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“I urge governments of all countries to consider additional travel testing, along with other possible and effective measures, to avoid the risks of infection while allowing travel and economic connectivity to be maintained,” said the UN chief.
Guterres also noted that he was deeply concerned about the international isolation of the South African countries, which timely identified and spoke about the omicron strain. “The peoples of Africa cannot be blamed for the fact that the availability of vaccines there is at a depressingly low level, and one cannot be punished for the discovery of new information and its rapid transmission to the whole world,” concluded the Secretary General.
Formerly the head of the World Health Organization (WHO ) Tedros Adanom Ghebreyesus criticized the current system of dealing with the pandemic, as it deprives countries of the incentive to warn other states of threats. “South Africa and Botswana should be thanked, not punished, for discovering and reporting a new strain,” he said. The head of WHO stressed that no country in the world will be able to defeat the coronavirus pandemic by focusing on vaccinating exclusively its citizens. The head of WHO called on states to fight unequal access to vaccines.