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South Africa has lifted most COVID-19 restrictions. But risks remain

South Africa has lifted most COVID-19 restrictions. But risks remain

IN early April South Africa ended most of the mandatory measures it put in place to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The country terminated its “state of disaster” and moved to a transitional phase. For 30 days certain measures will remain in place. These include wearing face masks in indoor public spaces, restrictions on gatherings as well as proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test for people travelling to the country. To find out more about the implication of this decision and the reasoning behind it, The Conversation Africa’s Ina Skosana spoke to Harsha Somaroo, who has been supporting…
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WHO advices on COVID-19 travel

WHO advices on COVID-19 travel

STEPHANIE NEBEHAY and MICHAEL SHIELDS THE World Health Organization has refrained from advising proof of COVID-19 vaccination or immunity as a condition for international travel, citing "critical unknowns" regarding their efficacy in reducing transmission and limited availability. The WHO's Emergency Committee, composed of 19 independent experts, held its sixth meeting in a year as the global death toll from the pandemic reached two million among more than 90 million cases. The experts issued a series of recommendations, which WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accepted and sent to the U.N. agency's 194 member states, a statement said. "At the present time,…
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WHO against travel restrictions

WHO against travel restrictions

THE World Health Organization's Emergency Committee has recommended that proof of vaccination not be required as a condition of international travel, maintaining its stance on the issue under growing debate. The independent experts, in a statement issued yesterday, cited limited evidence on whether vaccination against COVID-19 reduces people's ability to transmit the virus and "the persistent inequity in global vaccine distribution". States should recognise that requiring proof of vaccination deepens inequities and promotes unequal freedom of movement, the panel said.
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