BREAKING: United Kingdom lifts travel bans

The United Kingdom government will be scrapping the travel ban imposed on countries after the detection of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, TopNaija reports.

Daily Mail reported that Grant Shapps, the UK transport secretary convinced authorities to replace the ban with testing even for the fully vaccinated and it is expected that this will be approved and effected this week.

Recall that the UK government placed a temporary ban on air travel from Nigeria and six southern African countries; South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe, in a bid to curb the spread of Omicron variant of Coronavirus.

The recent decision was reached just days after it was reported that the Nigerian government will reciprocate the travel ban placed on Nigeria over the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.

Meanwhile, the UK has recorded the first death of a patient who contracted the Omicron variant.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK’s first Omicron fatality during a visit to a vaccination clinic near Paddington in west London on Monday morning. December 13, 2021.

“Sadly, yes, Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron,” he said.

“So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that’s something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population. So the best thing we can do is all get our boosters.”

Boris Johnson said that Omicron now represents about 40% of coronavirus cases in London.