BANGKOK: Thailand said on Saturday it would ban the entry of people travelling from eight African countries it designated as high-risk for the new Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Starting in December, travel from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, will be prohibited, senior health official Opas Karnkawinpong told a news conference.
Thailand will not allow travellers from these countries to register to travel to Thailand starting on Saturday, he said.
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The announcement comes as other countries in Asia tighten borders over worries about the B 1.1.529 variant. The World Health Organization designated it the latest "variant of concern," saying it may spread more quickly than other forms. .
"We have notified airlines and these countries," Opas said adding that travellers from other African countries will not be allowed to use the country's quarantine-free travel scheme for vaccinated travellers.
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