A number of experts have played down the feasibility of banning travel to and from Britain to prevent the spread of the new Corona variant, as the “New York Times” newspaper said that with the rush of countries to close the borders with the United Kingdom, the world’s first response came back to mind after the virus first appeared on a large scale in the spring The travel ban came too late and the virus had already spread.
The “New York Times” added that this time is not different, and the countries’ response to stop the variable that is spreading faster by 70% may be in vain.
Experts say it is not known how far the virus has actually spread, and the ban threatens to cause further economic and emotional hardships as the losses caused by the virus continue to mount..
The candid assessment of Dr. Peter Kremsner, director of University Hospital Tuebingen in Germany, was “stupid”, “if this mutant is only present on the island, then only then does it make sense to close the borders with England, Scotland and Wales, but if it spreads, then we must fight the new mutant in every Place “.
He noted that scientific understanding of the mutation was limited, that its risks were unclear, and described the idea that the alternative had not spread widely outside Britain as naive..
The experts also added that Britain has some of the most sophisticated genomic surveillance efforts in the world, which have allowed scientists there to discover the variant while it might go unnoticed elsewhere..
Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said member states would try to come up with a coherent approach to whatever threat posed by the alternative. At the moment, he wrote on Twitter, “Limiting travel to contain spread is wise so we can get better information“.
But he noted, “No one is safe until everyone is safe“.
With calls for the US to join dozens of countries imposing travel bans from Britain, Dr Anthony Fauci, America’s chief infectious disease expert, urged caution, saying there was a good chance the alternative was already in the country and advising against travel bans.