The ethics of the Omicron travel ban

The Omicron variant had not even been named when the government’s reflexes sprung into almost involuntary reaction last month, and it introduced yet more Covid restrictions. The ‘red list’ was immediately revived and South Africa was placed on it. All travellers from there and several other African countries were soon forced into expensive quarantine hotels to live on microwaved mush for ten days. Some European countries even banned flights from southern Africa, while, in turn, Switzerland responded to the first cases of Omicron in Britain by banning unvaccinated Brits from entering the country.

Whenever Covid rebounds, the first thing to happen is that international borders are closed. Governments seem to entertain the fantasy that life within their borders can carry on as long as certain outsiders are prevented from entering. This is in spite of obvious evidence to the contrary. Omicron was already present and spreading fast in Britain and in several other European countries.