European Union health ministers will discuss the coronavirus pandemic and the spread of the omicron variant on Tuesday, but are not expected to make any decision on easing travel restrictions, Reuters reports.
Late last month EU states agreed to impose travel curbs on seven southern African countries. It was reported earlier today that blanket travel bans could be eased or lifted, and replaced with stricter testing requirements.
The travel ban “was meant always as a time-limited measure”, one senior EU official told Reuters, adding however that there was no plan at the moment to lift it. “We are not yet working in that direction.”
Another two EU sources familiar with the work of health ministers said no decision on travel bans was expected at Tuesday’s meeting.
Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are the southern African countries that have been targeted. All seven, along with four other African nations, are on the UK’s…