In a similar fashion to the early days of the pandemic, when cases of the Wuhan virus were announced in dribs and drabs by governments, Europe has spent the last few days awaiting confirmations of Omicron, the new variant declared “of concern” by the WHO and being studied for its transmissibility and possible vaccine escape. The Government announced Monday that it would strengthen controls on countries deemed vulnerable, which includes the United Kingdom, which confirmed two positives. Germany, which disclosed two cases in Munich yesterday, and Italy join the United Kingdom and Belgium as the four European countries with confirmed cases of omicron, a strain of SARS-CoV-2 with an unprecedented number of mutations.
Spain, which has not yet detected any cases of this new variant, has tightened entry controls for travelers from several African countries, requiring them to present a negative test regardless of vaccination status, and for those from the United Kingdom, who can enter only with a vaccination certificate.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, stated this Saturday at the beginning of the PSOE’s 14th Autonomous Congress in Castilla y León that the best strategy for combating COVID is “responsibility, vaccine, and mask.” “Spain’s government works in close collaboration with Member States and the European Commission. We are making every effort to reach choices as swiftly as possible “Sánchez stated, without mentioning the new variant.
According to Moncloa sources, the administration is coordinating its actions with the EU and the autonomous communities, boosting interactions at all levels.
Yesterday, the Official State Gazette published a resolution requiring all travelers arriving from high-risk countries – Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe – to undergo a negative SARS-CoV-2 test no later than 72 hours prior to entry, regardless of vaccination status or previous exposure to the disease.
The United Kingdom, which has around ten times the amount of viral genomes sequenced as Spain, verified two cases of the omicron variety in Chelmsford and Nottingham yesterday.
61 infected travelers detained in Amsterdam. Uncertainty wether some have Omicron variant or not.
At least 61 passengers on two flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town, totaling 600, tested positive for coronavirus upon arrival in Amsterdam, however it is unknown if they carried the novel omicron form. The travellers were housed in a hotel near Schiphol, where they were monitored by local police. They will be quarantined for a minimum of seven days if they exhibit symptoms and five days if they exhibit no symptoms. Authorities in the Netherlands are attempting to track down approximately 5,000 persons who arrived in the previous week from a southern African country in order to do coronavirus testing.
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