COVID-19 variant: Mauritius to stop flights from South Africa

Mauritius will suspend all commercial passenger flights from South Africa from November 28 due to the new coronavirus variant, Omicron, its foreign affairs ministry said on Saturday.

A ministry statement also said any passengers who have been physically present in South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe will be denied entry or transit through Mauritius.

South African Airways, which restarted operations in September, said on Twitter it will stop flights to Mauritius as a result of the suspension.

Mauritius, whose economy largely relies on tourism, has 20,913 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 240 deaths reported since the pandemic began, according to a Reuters tally.