The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday urged countries to advise all travelers to wear masks in view of the rapid spread of Omicron’s new sub-variant XBB.1.5 in various nations around the world, especially in the United States. Joined. WHO’s chief emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, said during a briefing: “Passengers should be advised to wear masks in high-risk settings, such as long-haul flights,” Reuters reported.
According to the WHO official, the use of masks should be a “recommendation issued to passengers arriving from anywhere there is widespread transmission of Covid-19.”
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“Countries should review the evidence base for pre-departure testing, and if action is considered, travel measures should be implemented in a non-discriminatory manner,” Smallwood added.
The latest highly transmissible Omicron variant, XBB.1.5, accounted for 27.6 percent of Covid-19 cases in the United States as of Sunday, Reuters reported citing health officials. The subvariant has also been detected in Europe in small but increasing numbers, according to WHO officials.
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Meanwhile, fresh concerns have been raised regarding another wave of Covid-19 after China saw a massive spike in infections last month. Several nations, including the US, UK and France, immediately beefed up their Covid testing facilities at airports and required Covid tests for travelers from China.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said the UN health body was “very concerned about developments in the situation in China.”
Last week, the European Union’s Integrated Policy Crisis Response (IPCR) group, a body made up of officials from all 27 EU governments, also recommended all passengers on flights to and from China wear masks.
(With contributions from Reuters)
