Tourism minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane says that her department is busy setting up bilateral meetings with ambassadors of countries that have flagged South Africa over the 501Y.V2 variant of Covid-19.
Briefing parliament on Tuesday (9 March), the minister said that the country’s association with the 501Y.V2 variant of Covid-19 could cause damage to tourism.
In addition to key target markets such as the US and UK, South Africa has also been flagged as a risk by a number of other European countries including Belgium, France, Germany, and Switzerland.
The variant was first discovered and reported by scientists in South Africa, however it has also been found to be spreading in more than 48 other countries.
By calling it the “South…