Govt Urged To Impose Travel Ban On Nations With Omicron Infections

---

 
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, on Monday, said MAHB will wait for the Health Ministry to release the guidelines on air travel to contain the spread of the Omicron variant. - NSTP/MOHD FADLI HAMZAHKUALA LUMPUR: An epidemiologist has advised the government to impose a travel ban on countries that have registered Omicron variant cases for at least two to four weeks.
Associate Professor Dr Malina Osman from Universiti Putra Malaysia said this move will allow researchers to study and determine the clinical and epidemiological impacts of the Omicron variant.

"The travel ban should cover for transit passengers from the affected countries as well.
"Prolonging the quarantine period to 14 days for travellers from the affected countries and existing health and safety protocols are adequate to protect us at the moment.
"But, a travel ban would be a safer option as anticipating the possibility of another wave of Covid-19 infection," she told the New Straits Times.
Dr Malina's proposal came after two travellers tested positive for the Omicron variant at the Changi Airport in Singapore on Sunday.
Following the reports, public health experts have cautioned the government that the newly-discovered variant could reach our shores faster than predicted.
The Omicron variant or B.1.1.529 strain of Covid-19 was first discovered in South Africa and reportedly has more mutations than the highly virulent Delta strain.
Some of the genetic mutations shown by the Omicron variant are known to enable the virus to evade immunity.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had on Nov 26, announced that travellers with a 14-day travel history to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe would be barred from entering Malaysia.
Meanwhile, virologist Associate Professor Dr Chee Hui Yee said airports should ensure proper ventilation at the waiting lounges to minimise the risk of transmission.
Wearing a properly fitted face mask, she said, is the most important and effective control measure, to curb the spread of the virus.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, on Monday, said MAHB will wait for the Health Ministry to release the guidelines on air travel to contain the spread of the Omicron variant. - NST

---