Umm Muhammed Umar

The National Coronavirus Command Council met on Saturday to discuss the newly detected novel coronavirus variant. The meeting had initially been scheduled for Sunday, 28 November 2021.

The meeting follows Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla on Friday having expressed concern about  the rise in Covid-19 cases.

The Council was to evaluate advances made in the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with regards to the newly detected variant, named Omicron. According to the website of the Presidency, outcomes of this meeting will indicate whether further discussion is required at the level of the President’s Coordinating Council.

The South African Government continues to encourage vaccination against the virus and the rigorous application of all coronavirus protocols.

South Africa is fighting travel bans from Europe and other parts of the world, after news of the discovery of the variant, which reportedly has up to 30 mutations, was released.