South Africa is currently at the lowest level of lockdown measures.
South Africa’s recovery from its deepest economic downturn in nearly three decades is at risk of being derailed as the identification of a new coronavirus variant prompted several European countries to ban travel to and from this country right before the summer holidays.
The restrictions deal another blow to South Africa’s battered tourism industry, which has been bearing the weight of border closures and domestic shutdowns for more than a year and a half.
“This will be a significant setback for South Africa’s already vulnerable tourism sector, which is set to witness a stalemate,” said Siobhan Redford, chief economist at FirstRand Group Ltd. large numbers of foreign tourists, armed with hard currency, during the festive season.” Rand Merchant Bank.
The UK, which accounts for the largest share of foreign tourists to South Africa, has announced a temporary ban on flights to the country and five neighboring countries over concerns about the new discovery. , called B.1.1.529 until there was a letter in Greek. assigned to it by the World Health Organization.
The move has drawn outrage from South African officials as scientists are still trying to determine if the new variant is more contagious or more deadly than previous variants. Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said the decision was hasty, while Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said she plans to discuss the flight ban with officials attending the World Tourism Organization’s general assembly. world in Madrid next week.
“We need to treat this as a global problem, like climate change itself, and these variations will be widespread,” Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said in an interview with Bloomberg Television today. Friday. “I am sure in the next 10 days there will be more clarity after more work” on the impact of the virus and how contagious it is, he said.
Travel and tourism contributed 7% to South Africa’s gross domestic product in the pre-pandemic period, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. While this is lower than the global average, it still accounts for nearly 1.5 million jobs in a country with an unemployment rate of 34.4% – the highest of the 82 countries tracked by Bloomberg. .
South Africa is currently at the lowest level of containment measures, but the new variant has prompted the so-called coronavirus command council and cabinet to convene a meeting over the weekend. President Cyril Ramaphosa could impose stricter regulations in the country, including a ban on the sale of alcohol, to free up medical centers from the burden of drink-related accidents and violence. the coming days.
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