LONDON (Reuters) – Given the rapid spread of the latest offshoot of the Omicron variant – XBB.1.5 – in the United States, WHO Regional Office for Europe officials on Tuesday recommended travel measures be implemented in a “non-discriminatory” manner.
That is not to say that “we recommend testing of patient of passengers coming from the U.S. at this stage. Countries need to look at the evidence base for pre-departure testing”, WHO’s senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, told a news briefing.
Passengers should be recommended to wear masks in high-risk settings such as long-haul flights, she added, “this should be a recommendation issued to passengers arriving from anywhere where there is widespread COVID-19 transmission”.
(Reporting by Natalie Grover in London; Editing by Alison Williams)
