New Covid-19 variant: Australia warns it may close borders to South African travellers

Australia on Friday said it was investigating the newly identified Covid-19 variant spreading in South Africa and warned it may close its borders to travellers from the African nation if risks from the new strain rise.

South African scientists are concerned the new variant could evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible as it has a “very unusual constellation” of mutations.

Australia Health Minister Greg Hunt said he would swiftly respond if the World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies it as a major new variant.

“As we have always been, we are flexible. And if the medical advice is that we need to change that, we won’t hesitate,” Hunt told reporters in Sydney. “That is what we have done as a country, whether it has been closing borders, whether it has been ensuring there is quarantine.”

Alarmed by the variant, Britain temporarily banned flights from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini from Friday, and asked returning British travellers from those destinations to quarantine.