Though the UK said the visa suspension is temporary (submitted applications will be responded to at some point), it draws attention to the fact that only African countries are on the UK’s red list for a variant spotted in at least 45 countries, including developed European economies like Denmark where 183 cases were reported on Dec. 5.

Atedo Peterside, a prominent former bank CEO and Nigerian government minister, question the idea of a travel  that discriminates between Nigerians and British people. Akinwunmi Adesina, president of the Africa Development Bank, wondered why travel bans applied only to Africa when omicron has been found in other countries. “Singling out African countries is very unfair, non-scientific and discriminatory,” he said.

The visa ban, even if temporary, is also a reminder that African are often twice as likely to be denied UK visas than people from other continents, as a 2019 report by British lawmakers found. If that was the case before the pandemic, the fears now are that requirements for African travelers will become more onerous.