TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO IMPOSES TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS TO 8 SOUTH AFRICAN COUNTRIES AS NEW COVID-19 VARIANT EMERGES

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Trinidad and Tobago’s Health Ministry has imposed travel restrictions to 8 countries in South Africa which took effect on Friday night in light of the emergence of a new covid-19 variant, Omicron.

On Friday, the World Health Organization named the new strain and labeled it a variant of concern. But it remains unclear whether it will dodge immune responses from either prior infections or vaccination.

At Saturday’s covid-19 media conference, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh that non nationals seeking entry from those countries are not allowed as they continue to monitor the spread of the variant.

But on Saturday morning, the UK reported, 2 cases of the variant. As such, Minister Deyalsingh said that there will be no hesitation to add any country to the list, once necessary.

South Africa on Thursday confirmed that scientists there had detected a variant with a high number of mutations that could make it more easily transmissible. Several countries, including the United States and the UK, moved to curb flights on Friday and Saturday from South Africa. The new variant has a greater number of mutations and may be more transmissible and better at evading the body’s immune defenses, making vaccines less effective.

And so Minister Deyalsingh added that unvaccinated Trinidad and Tobago nationals will need to undergo a 14 day quarantine period at their own expense.