AFROPHOBIA? OR A GENUINE CALL TO CURB SPREAD OF COVID 19: A Peep at European & Western Reaction to South Africa’s Discovery of the Omicron Variant
By Sonny Mncedisi Dube
Afrophobia - is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards black people or people of African Descent around the world. [http://www.red-network.eu/?i=red-network.en.thesaurus.1]
Abstract
Covid 19 has since its emergence early in the year 2020 caused a scare, straining the global health system beyond what it can handle with over 2 million global infections and over 5 million deaths to date. Lockdowns, masks, social distancing, sanitizers, vaccines all constitute a gamut of routine health efforts aimed at curbing the spread of covid 19, all which we have come to embrace as a norm in our daily lives. Covid 19 was first detected in China early in 2020, travel bans and lockdowns gradually ensued as ways to curb its spread. In the same manner, South Africa like China has been ostracized for the discovery of the new Covid 19 variant. The difference is that whilst China’s discovery of the first covid 19 virus was shrouded in secrecy, for South Africa it seems it is being punished for being transparent about the recent mutations.
The Delta Variant, a third wave of Covid 19 drove the global village into another series of total lockdowns and has been dominating global infections as the prevailing strain up until the recent Omicron variant discovered in South Africa, detected in Botswana and now in several countries across the globe. South Africa’ s announcement of this new variant was met with travel bans from the UK, a ban that that extended to other Southern African countries in proximity to South Africa, including Botswana, Kingdom of Eswatini, Zimbabwe. The UK put Southern African countries on a travel ban red-list as soon as news of this new variant reached its ears, and this decision has come into question as to whether it is a genuine move to curb the virus or simply Afrophobia, the decision seems less likely the former and more likely the latter.
South Africa in tandem with other African countries have been pleading with their Western counterparts to reverse what appears to be rushed and premature travel bans, as these bans on flights from Southern Africa will adversely impact the region’s tourism industry thereby crippling its economy which was now showing promising indicators of recovery. South African president Cyril Ramaphosa voiced in a televised broadcast that “The prohibition of travel is not informed by science. Nor will it be effective in preventing the spread of this variant.” He added that “The only thing the prohibition on travel will do is to further damage the economies of the affected countries and undermine their ability to respond to and also to recover from the pandemic.”
AFROPHOBIC IN WHAT SENSE?
The United Kingdom’s rushed and premature decision came way before any scientific conclusion on whether or not the Omicron variant is a variant of concern. This has therefore led to the conclusion that if the United Kingdom’s decision is not guided by any scientific evidence then what ground does it base on and the fact that even responses to the Delta variant (which scientific evidence was sufficient to declare it not only a variant of concern but virulent) were not this rushed and drastic as appeared to be the current case with Africa. The South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called UK’s decision scientifically unjustified and has called for its urgent reversal. On Sunday 28th November in his first address to the nation following the last week’s detection of the new variant, he said in verbatim “We call upon all those countries that have imposed travel bans on our country and our Southern African sister countries to immediately and urgently reverse their decisions”.
The Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera has joined other African leaders in condemning UK’s decision calling it Afrophobic for its lack of scientific guidance. In his exact words he wrote on Sunday in a Facebook post. “……But the unilateral travel bans now imposed on [Southern African Development Community] countries by the UK, EU, US, Australia, and others are uncalled for. Covid measures must be based on science, not Afrophobia.” The World Health Organisation whilst having declared the Omicron a variant of concern, it has warned and urged countries to take measures that are “risk-based” and guided by scientific evidence. The WHO through its Africa director Matshidiso Moeti, said on Sunday that with the Omicron variant surfacing around the world, imposing travel bans that target Africa “attacks global solidarity.” The same voiced that “Travel restrictions may play a role in slightly reducing the spread of COVID-19 but place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods” Moeti added in a statement that "If restrictions are implemented, they should not be unnecessarily invasive or intrusive, and should be scientifically based, according to the International Health Regulations, which is a legally binding instrument of international law recognized by over 190 nations.
It is therefore clear that whilst ostracization of countries that discover Covid 19 variant strains (or in which virus strains are discovered) is not new, the speed and haste at which it was handled by Western countries recently Southern African region is alarming and questionable as it lacks any scientific evidence to back it. Whilst the virulence or harmfulness of the new Omicron variant is still being assessed and monitored, it is time that countries around the world stand in unity to cement global solidarity, it is not time to be divided.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SONNY MNCEDISI DUBE is a Legal Practitioner and a blogger who writes in his personal capacity
0718533598/ 0775546868
©The NovemberMan
It's nice
ReplyDelete