UK PM Johnson tries to reassure SA over travel ban

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told SA President Cyril Ramaphosa that he would work to reopen international travel after Britain stopped flights from SA due to the spread of a new coronavirus variant.

SA has said that the travel ban is unjustified, and Britain did not engage with the country before introducing the flight ban.

“The prime minister spoke to President Cyril Ramaphosa of SA this afternoon. They discussed the challenges posed globally by the new Covid-19 variant, and ways to work together to deal with it and reopen international travel,” Johnson's Downing Street office said.

“The prime minister commended SA's rapid genomic sequencing and leadership in transparently sharing scientific data.”