EU Covid travel bans against Africa are unfair: airline association

By ANTHONY KITIMO

European Union countries’ travel bans on African countries over the Omicron variant is discriminatory and will negatively affect the African aviation sector, the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has said.

AFRAA Secretary General Abdérahmane Berthé said the move by some Western countries amount to stigmatisation of Africa, especially South Africa which is among countries to detect the virus in its land.

“Why target Africa when the virus is reported in other regions as well? Any attempts to stigmatise Africa through travel bans will not work. We should not confuse politics with science,” said Mr Berthé.
 
The secretary general urges all countries that have issued unilateral travel restrictions to revoke them and instead seek collaborative measures that will address the Covid challenge holistically.

“The Omicron variant is now detected in several regions of the world, yet the travel bans seem to be targeted at Africa. This is an affront to the global efforts to find an enduring solution. We will be better off confronting the virus if we work together for solutions and avoid discrimination,” said Mr Berthé.