World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced at the media briefing on Covid-19 that at least 23 countries from five of six WHO regions have now reported cases of Omicron, and the number is expected to grow. “WHO takes this development extremely seriously, and so should every country. I thank Botswana and South Africa for detecting, sequencing and reporting this variant so rapidly. We call on all countries to take rational, proportional risk-reduction measures, in keeping with the International Health Regulations,” Adhanom said. He also urged countries not to apply blanket bans on travel as they will not prevent the international spread of Omicron, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.