Seychelles Says It Is Barring South Africans – And Only South Africans – To Keep Britain Happy

THE Seychelles will reopen its borders to international travellers on 25 March 2021 but visitors from South Africa will still be barred from entering the island nation “to protect the European market”, as noted by the Seychelles’ Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde.

The idyllic cluster of islands, situated 1,500 km off the east coast of Africa, has traditionally been a popular holiday destination among South Africans. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 12,000 South Africans – who don’t need a visa – made the five-hour flight from O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to the Seychelles every year. 

But the global pandemic swiftly scuppered holiday plans and, due to the discovery of the 501Y.V2 Covid-19 variant towards the end of 2020, the Seychelles added visitors from South Africa to its list of prohibited arrivals on 31 December. International visitors who were permitted to enter the Seychelles