Five nations ban flights from South Africa over Covid-19 variant

At least five countries have suspended flights from South Africa after a coronavirus variant was recently discovered in the country.

Germany, Turkey, Israel, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have announced the ban in an effort to prevent the spread of the new strain currently termed 501.V2 Variant, reports Xinhua news agency.

The ban came into effect on Monday in most of these countries.

Germany was one of the first nations to announce the ban.

“Because of the reported coronavirus mutation, the federal government intends to restrict travel options between Germany and Great Britain and South Africa,” said Government Spokesperson Martina Fietz.