(Geneva) The World Trade Organization (WTO) has postponed a major meeting of ministers scheduled to begin on Tuesday after Switzerland restricted travel due to the new variant of COVID-19, an official said, Friday.
Among other things, the Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference is due to consider a draft agreement on fisheries subsidies. Participants should also address the issue of intellectual property relating to COVID-19 vaccines.
The ambassadors of the 164 member countries agreed to postpone the four-day meeting since the measures put in place by Switzerland prevent participants from going there. A virtual meeting does not appear to be a solution, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The Swiss Ministry of Health has banned the arrival of all flights coming directly from southern Africa. Anyone arriving from this region, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel – where the presence of the last variant has been detected – must test negative and go into quarantine for 10 days.
The World Health Organization has found the situation worrying. She gave a Greek letter, Omicron, to the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa.
The South African delegation is at the forefront of efforts to release pharmaceutical patents for vaccines, drugs and therapeutic treatments to fight the pandemic. She hopes this will allow faster availability for emerging countries. The European Union and several European countries like Switzerland and Great Britain are reluctant, fearing that this will slow down innovation.
The Omicron variant caused a stir in the stock markets. Many fear that the various restrictions that will be put in place will harm the economic recovery.