Qatar Airways says it is not accepting passengers on its flights from 2 African nations immediately due to the new Omicron variant

Qatar Airways says it is not accepting passengers on its flights from 2 African nations immediately due to the new Omicron variant

The new Omicron COVID-19 variant is concerning scientists, prompting countries and airlines to impose travel restrictions from a number of African nations. On Friday, Doha-based Qatar Airways that it will not allow passengers to board flights from South Africa and Zimbabwe. The carrier provided additional information on its . "Passengers who are booked on Qatar Airways flights from airports in either country, including Johannesburg (JNB), Capetown (CPT), Durban (DUR), and Harare (HRE), will not be accepted for travel until further notice," Qatar said. , a Qatar flight that was scheduled to depart Johannesburg for Doha on Friday at 9:35 p.m. took off at 1:00 a.m. local time. Qatar did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the delayed flight. On its website, the airline clarified it will still transport passengers to South Africa and Zimbabwe "in line with current restrictions." Zimbabwe and South Africa on Friday, though the country still allows vaccinated travelers from both nations to enter Qatar with a 2-day quarantine, . The decision follows the World Health Organization's increasing concern that the new COVID-19 variant is more transmissible. On Friday, and countries like the US, UK, and the Netherlands are tackling the mutated virus with