Uzbekistan restricts travel over Omicron concerns

Uzbekistan said on Wednesday it would suspend flights with Hong Kong, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Tanzania and South Africa from Dec. 3 to curb the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

The Central Asian nation's health ministry said residents of those nations and people who have recently visited them would be unable to enter Uzbekistan, while those arriving from Egypt, Israel, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Czech Republic would be quarantined for 10 days.