WHO Advises Senior People To Rethink Their Travel Plans Due To Omicron

People over the age of 60 are among those recommended not to travel because of the appearance of the Omicron variety, according to the World Health Organization.

“Individuals who are ill, have not been fully vaccinated, or do not have proof of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and are at higher risk of developing serious illnesses and dying, including people 60 years of age or older, or those with chronic conditions that present an increased risk of severe COVID-19 (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes),” the WHO advised.

The warning comes as the Omicron variation is being found in an increasing number of cases throughout the world, and a lot of doubts surrounding the variant remain unanswered.

“All travellers should be encouraged to be attentive for clinical symptoms of COVID-19, to get immunized when their turn comes, and to comply to healthcare and social measures at all times and regardless of immune status,” the WHO stated in its most recent recommendation.

Following the organization’s designation of Omicron as a “variant of concern”, dozens of nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, imposed additional restrictions on travel from more than a half-dozen southern African countries within days. Countries such as Israel have gone as far as to seal their borders to all international visitors, while Morocco has temporarily banned all incoming passenger aircraft.

The United Kingdom has required that overseas visitors perform a COVID-19 PCR test the day following their arrival and self-isolate between arriving in the United Kingdom and getting negative test results.

Vaccinated overseas flight travelers must now test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of arriving in the United States. As per Reuters, the United States is attempting to reduce that window to 24 hours. The United States is contemplating asking foreign flight travelers to undergo a second COVID-19 test three to five days after arrival.

The Omicron strain is expected to be found in a rising number of nations in the coming weeks, according to the WHO.