Medics stuck in South Africa as flights grounded

Lisa Freeth and Helena Edwards were on holiday in South Africa when the new variant was discovered

Two healthcare professionals say they have been left stranded in South Africa after flights were disrupted due to the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Lisa Freeth was set to depart Johannesburg with fellow Briton Helena Edwards on Saturday.

But she said that at the airport she was informed by a Dutch airline that their Netherlands-bound flight would only be allowing EU citizens to board.

The Foreign Office has been asked to comment.

Ms Freeth, a physiotherapist from Solihull, West Midlands, said she and Dr Edwards, from Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra Hospital, spent the weekend failing to find alternative ways home to the UK.

Omicron is a heavily-mutated strain of Covid-19 that has raised concerns it has the potential to evade immunity.

Amid its emergence in southern African states, the British government suspended flights from South Africa on Friday, adding the nation to the so-called red list that imposes official travel restrictions.

The only people allowed to enter the UK from these countries are British or Irish nationals, or those with residence rights in the UK, and even then, subject to testing and quarantine conditions.

"We spent several hours at the airport trying different airlines [but] most were already full, cancelled, or were only taking their own citizens home," Ms Freeth said.

She added: "We managed to actually have most of our holiday, but in a way, it's almost more frustrating because we were so close to coming home and have essentially been scuppered by less than 24 hours."

The pair were able to enjoy the majority of their holiday before the disruption began

The pair have since booked into a hotel within six miles (10km) of Johannesburg Airport and are quarantining.

"We're kind of stuck here trying to find information and really struggling to get any any information that's useful to us about how and when we can get home," Ms Freeth said.

• Travel bans must be urgently lifted - SA president

• Scientists to announce advice on booster rollout

• How worrying is the new Covid variant?

South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned travel bans enacted against his country, saying he was "deeply disappointed" by the action, which he described as unjustified.

Ms Freeth said: "We just feel completely in limbo at the moment with no concrete information and no support to actually know what the best route for us to do is.

"We do understand the gravity of the situation and that restrictions need to be imposed and we know we'll have to quarantine when we get home, it's more [the] concern [about] how long are we going to be stuck here?"