President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that the world needed to resist unjustified and unscientific Covid-19 travel restrictions that mostly hurt developing nations.
Global authorities have reacted with alarm to the new coronavirus variant, Omicron, with various countries re-imposing travel curbs. The new variant was first detected in Botswana. Scientists in South Africa and Botswana then worked together in sequencing the variant.
South Africa said on Saturday that it was being punished for its advanced ability to detect new variants early as bans and restrictions threaten to harm tourism and other sectors.
"We need to resist unjustified and unscientific travel restrictions that are damaging the economies and sectors of the economies that rely on travel," Ramaphosa said during a speech at the opening of the China-Africa Summit in Dakar.
"There is a world order where a country's wealth is the difference between sickness and health," he added.
Senegal's President Macky Sall, who was hosting the summit, replied that Africa was in solidarity with South Africa and Africa, "... will not close its doors to South Africa."
Meanwhile, Health Minister Joe Phaahla called for a lifting of "discriminatory" travel bans imposed on southern African countries because of the Omicron variant.
"We find these travel bans discriminatory in light of the fact that the same travel bans have not been imposed on other countries where this variant has been found," Phaahla told the World Health Organisation in a speech.
If you come across Covid-19 vaccination information that you do not trust, read Covid-19 vaccine myths debunked: Get the facts here. If you can't find the facts you're looking for, email us at the address mentioned in the article and we will verify the information with medical professionals.