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'Ineffective' international travel bans should be lifted – WHO

Government
Will Payne
20 January 2022

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said international travel curbs should be lifted due to the ineffectiveness of the measures to suppress the spread of the Omicron variant.

The recommendations follow a meeting between government and the aviation industry earlier this month

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The UN health agency updated its international health regulations recommendations during an emergency committee meeting on Wednesday (19 January).

It said international traffic bans should be lifted "as they do not provide added value and continue to contribute to the economic and social stress" of some countries.

"The failure of travel restrictions introduced after the detection and reporting of Omicron variant to limit international spread of Omicron demonstrates the ineffectiveness of such measures over time," it continued.