(Washington) The United States is awaiting more scientific data on the new variant detected in South Africa before making a “considered decision” on a possible border closure, the White House adviser on the pandemic said on Friday.
“We will make a decision as soon as possible, when we have more data” on the subject, said Dr Anthony Fauci on the CNN channel, against France, the Netherlands or Great Britain which have already banned flights from South Africa and five neighboring countries as of Friday noon.
“This kind of option is always considered, but you do not want to say that you are going to do it before having a scientific reason to do it”, judged the American immunologist. “This is why we are in a hurry to collect this scientific data in order to make an informed decision. ”
The World Health Organization has so far issued recommendations in this direction, advising countries not to take travel restriction measures, while the virulence and transmissibility of the new variant detected in South Africa remain unknown.