Suspension of passenger flights with South Africa lifted

Member States of the European Union have today lifted the suspension of flights with South Africa brought in a (fruitless) attempt to stem the spread of the Omicron variant. This is a decision that has long been called for by authorities in South Africa, not least because the first two cases of Omicron were actually identified in Holland BEFORE South African authorities reported their outbreak. Tweeting today, the French presidency of the Council of the European Union adds that passengers from South Africa “will continue nonetheless to be subject to sanitary measures applicable to travellers from third countries”.