Cases so far have been detected in South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong, Israel, Belgium and the UK. Yesterday, the WHO (World Health Organization) officially classified it as a “variant of concern.”
New COVID-19 Variant Could Impact Travel
Amidst all of the excitement around Disney World’s Thanksgiving celebrations, there was a more serious bit of news that we forgot to share with you. Though not specifically Disney-related, its important in that may have an impact on upcoming travel plans.
Reporting started coming in over the weekend that a new COVID-19 variant has been detected in South Africa and it is expected that the variant is now spreading. The new variant appears to be the most rampant in parts of South Africa. What has scientists a bit worried is that this new variant exhibits a high number of mutations making it more transmissible.
So far numerous countries have announced travel restrictions. We thought it best to share this with you as it may impact travel to and from Disney parks worldwide as well as those traveling from other countries to the United States. At the moment, countries are banning travel from countries with high variant infection rates including: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
The countries now imposing new travel restrictions are : United Kingdom, Japan, Bahrain, Brazin, EU Nations, Switzerland, Oman, Egypt, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Germany, US, Canada, Russia, Thailand and Turkey.
Dr. Anthony Fauci also spoke up over the holiday weekend to say that it is likely that the Omicron variant is already in the United States. We suspect that this will be an important story over the next week. As scientists come to terms with the size and scale of the variant, we will have a clearer sense of what further impact this news will have on travel both internationally and domestic.
Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for more travel news and updates!
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With new policies and procedures in place for next year, there’s never been a better time to work with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner who can help you navigate through Disney World’s new way of doing things! Just fill out my form HERE to get your FREE, no-obligation quote. Alternatively, feel free to reach out at mroden@mickeytravels.com or follow along on Facebook