The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that most likely the EC will offer the European Union to close flights from southern Africa due to the detection of a new dangerous strain of COVID-19 there.
“The European Commission will propose, in close coordination with the Union countries, to activate the emergency suspension of flights from the southern African region in connection with the appearance there of a dangerous variant B.1.1.529, causing concern,” the head of the EC wrote on Twitter.
Earlier News Front reported on the emergence in Botswana of the COVID-19 strain, which contains 32 mutations. Scientists point to its high transmissibility and resistance to vaccines. Also, the strain has more changes in the spike protein than all other variants of COVID-19.