DUBAI: Oman, UAE and Egypt joined a series of countries worldwide who have banned direct flights from seven African countries temporarily in response to the spread of a new coronavirus variant. Starting from Nov. 28, directs flights from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, and Eswatini would be blocked and a range of measures would be introduced for any travelers arriving from such countries via indirect flights, whether for transit or otherwise. Kuwait also announced on Saturday that it is to suspend direct flights from nine African countries from Sunday due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus discovered in South Africa, the government communication centre tweeted on Saturday, citing a cabinet decision. The countries are South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zambia, and Malawi.