Germany's incoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced support for compulsory vaccinations and the UK ramped up booster jabs as even nations with high vaccination rates scramble to contain spiralling infections and prevent health services from being overwhelmed.
WHO Chief TedrosAdhanom Ghebreyesus said that it was understandable that countries wanted to protect their citizens against a variant we don't yet fully understand, yet the UN health agency fears blocking travel could be unfair and dissuade surveillance. Blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.
The WHO, in a travel advisory on Omicron, has said that they can adversely impact global health efforts during a pandemic by dis-incentivizing countries to report and share epidemiological and sequencing data.
