Stand Firm Against Health Apartheid In Fight Against Pandemic: South Africa President
NDTV
South African scientists announced on November 25 that they had detected a highly mutated form of coronavirus.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Thursday warned against the risk of "health apartheid" as he took aim at travel bans imposed on his country after it detected the new Omicron variant of Covid.
On a visit to Ivory Coast, he said the curbs, which many countries have also applied to countries across southern Africa, were "regrettable, unfair and unscientific".
"Given that it was our own African scientists who first detected the Omicron variant, it is also a slap in the face of African excellence and expertise," Ramaphosa said after meeting his Ivorian counterpart Alassane Ouattara.
"These bans will cause untold damage, in particular to travel and tourism industries that sustain businesses and livelihoods in South Africa and the southern African region."
