PHNOM PENH: WHO Representative to Cambodia Dr. Li Ailan has said that the travel ban will not prevent the spread of the new variant of Covid-19 called Omicron. Her statement was in response to the World Health Organization’s statement released on Tuesday advising for international traffic in relation to the new variant of Covid-19.

The WHO says, “WHO calls on all countries to follow the IHR (2005) and to show global solidarity in rapid and transparent information sharing and in a joint response to Omicron (as with all other variants), leveraging collective efforts to advance scientific understanding and sharing the benefits of applying newly acquired scientific knowledge and tools.”

It has commended the efforts of South Africa and Botswana for their capacities in surveillance and sequencing and for the speed and transparency with which they notified and shared information with the WHO Secretariat on the Omicron variant in accordance with the International Health Regulations (2005). It says that these actions have allowed other countries to rapidly adjust their response measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response, Dr. Li Ailan says, “While risk-based border control measures may help ‘buy time’ for country readiness for a surge, ‘blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.”

As noted in the WHO announcement, the Omicron variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. It is expected that the Omicron variant will be detected in an increasing number of countries as national authorities step up their surveillance and sequencing activities.