FOG BLOG CANADA NEWS LOG: CANADA & US CLOSING ITS DOORS TO FLIGHTS FROM S. AFRICA DUE TO OMICRON:

More countries announce COVID-19 travel restrictions after omicron variant discovery...Canada closing border to countries in southern Africa.....The discovery of a new coronavirus variant triggered global alarm on Friday as countries rushed to suspend travel from southern Africa and stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic suffered their biggest falls in more than a year.

The United States will restrict travel from South Africa — where the new mutation was discovered — and neighbouring countries effective Monday, a senior Biden administration official said.

Going further, Canada said it was closing its borders to those countries, following bans on flights announced by Britain, the European Union and others.

The World Health Organization (WHO) met on Friday to discuss the risks presented by the variant, which they named omicron and declared a variant of concern, a label only given to four variants to date.

It could take weeks for scientists to fully understand the mutations. Health authorities are seeking to determine if omicron is more transmissible or infectious than other variants and if vaccines are effective against it..