Premier Winde and Minister Maynier welcome the removal of South Africa and neighbouring countries from the UK’s red-list and call on other countries to lift travel bans

WESTERN CAPE NEWS - The Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, and the Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier, that they welcome the announcement by the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP today that all 11 countries on Britain's red-list, including South Africa, will be removed from 04:00 on Wednesday.

According to a media statement, premier Alan Winde said:

“The Western Cape Government has been lobbying and engaging with international counterparts on the removal of South Africa from the red-list. We have argued that travel bans are no longer effective in preventing the spread of Omicron, which is already established in other countries. This is why we are very pleased with the announcement, and call on other countries who have imposed similar travel bans to lift them too.”

Premier Winde added: “We’ve further argued that existing measures such as adherence to non-pharmaceutical measures including mask-wearing, PCR testing and proof of vaccination are sufficient to ensure safe travels.”

Further welcoming the announcement, the Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier, said: “This is a proud moment for the Western Cape because it means that we can get our economy back on track by reviving the tourism and hospitality sector, which are so dependent on during the summer season.”

Minister Maynier concluded: “I look forward to welcoming international visitors to our beautiful province yet again, and to seeing job creation and economic growth that will undoubtedly follow from it.”

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