No Evidence to Support Omicron Variant Travel Bans at This Time, Says Expert

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, joined Cheddar to discuss the nations joining in on a travel ban against several African nations after South Africa reported the emergence of the omicron variant of COVID-19 currently worrying health experts. Adalja also added his own voice to the World Health Organization's objection to the travel ban at this time. "When you do a travel ban, you basically waste a lot of resources implementing the travel ban, you give people a false sense of security when the virus is likely already outside of the area of the travel ban, and then you punish countries like South Africa." He noted that South Africa should be praised for its transparency and not punished with restrictions, an act he thinks will lead to a chilling effect among other nations sharing data freely.