Archbishop of Canterbury calls on government to stop “travel apartheid”
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has called on the UK Government to scrap the travel red list and put an end to “travel apartheid.”
“With Omicron set to become the dominant variant in the UK, I appeal to the British Government to remove Nigeria and South Africa from the red list – together with all other countries currently on it,” he said.
In a series of tweets, Welby called the list – which encompasses 11 southern African countries including Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa – “morally wrong and self-defeating”.
“We must find fair and effective approaches for those who are vaccinated and tested to enter the UK,” he tweeted.
The Archbishop also called on countries to end “vaccine nationalism and stockpiling.”
“The only route out of this pandemic is vaccine equity,” he said. “We must get vaccines distributed in countries that need them the most.
“The choice is vaccine nationalism or human solidarity.”
Welby’s comments come on the same day UK pharmaceutical company GSK announced that its Covid-19 therapy is effective against the Omicron variant and all its mutations, sending markets up.
The US tech market, which includes giants such as Apple and Salesforce, especially bounced back, gained around 2.5 per cent in pre-market trading as a result of Omicron-related concerns easing, Reuters reported.
As a result of the discovery of the variant, countries around the world have tightened travel rules, with the UK re-introducing its red travel list, which was scrapped on 1 November.
The UK also re-introduced the requirement for all those travelling to the country to have pre-departure testing and a PCR within 48 hours upon arrival. Airlines have remained positive despite the new regulations, with stocks jumping around 10 per cent.