The World Trade Organization postponed a face-to-face ministerial meeting in Geneva because Switzerland tightened travel restrictions after the discovery of the new coronavirus.

WTO members made a decision at an emergency meeting held on Friday night to discuss possible alternative arrangements for the ministerial meeting. President of the General Council, Dasio Castillo, said in a statement that once conditions permit, the meeting will be held as soon as possible.

“My priority is the health and safety of all MC12 participants-ministers, representatives and civil society,” said Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. “It’s better to be cautious.”

After the World Health Organization stated that the new, potentially riskier strain called omicron was a worrying variant, the Swiss government announced that all direct flights from southern Africa were banned. According to a statement from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, starting Friday, all people entering Switzerland from Southern Africa, Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium must be tested negative for Covid-19 and be quarantined for 10 days. Due to growing concerns about this variant, European countries have stopped air travel from Southern Africa. EU member states agreed to quickly impose restrictions on seven African countries — Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe — as scientists scramble to determine whether this new strain is more dangerous.

Sudden changes may prevent the Minister of Trade from reaching an agreement on key issues related to the abandonment of WTO rules on intellectual property rights for vaccines and therapies.

About 4,000 trade officials plan to travel to Geneva to participate in the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, a gathering of the organization’s highest decision-making body.

The conference is scheduled to be held from November 30 to December 3, and provides governments with a rare opportunity to provide practical results that affect daily life.

News Source : Hindustan Times