Countries Move to Halt Travel From Southern Africa Over New COVID-19 Variant

A worker waits for arrivals at the COVID-19 testing centre in Terminal 3 at Pearson Airport in Toronto, on Feb. 3, 2021. The federal government has added fully vaccinated foreign nationals to the ranks of travellers who are once again welcome on Canadian soil. The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn

Countries in Europe and Asia on Friday took swift action to halt travel from several African countries over a mutated COVID-19 strain that was blamed by officials for a rise in cases in South Africa.

Even though the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday cautioned against imposing travel restrictions on those countries regarding the so-called B.1.1.529 variant, the European Union announced it would propose stopping air travel from southern Africa.