SINGAPORE, (Reuters) – Asian and European nations rushed to increase restrictions after a potentially vaccine-resistant variant of coronavirus was discovered in South Africa. Singapore and India announced stricter border control and increased testing.

According to UK Health Security Agency (UKHA), the variant’s spike protein is significantly different from that in COVID-19, which was the basis of the vaccines.

While scientists still have much to learn about the variant first identified this week by scientists, the news shook financial markets with the sharpest drops in Asia stocks and the steepest plunges in oil prices in over three months.

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), this variant is also found in Botswana, Hong Kong and elsewhere.

Britain temporarily banned South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe from flying and requested that returning British travelers from these destinations be quarantined.

Singapore quickly joined Britain. The health ministry said that Singapore would be restricting South Africa’s entry to the country.

Italy has placed an entry ban for anyone who visited South Africa or a number of other southern African countries in the past 14 days.

European countries were already increasing the number of booster vaccines and tightening regulations as they battle a fourth coronavirus wave, which is being led by the delta variant. Numerous countries report record-breaking daily cases.

Germany has set a record number of 76,000 COVID-19-infected people in just one day. The country’s first attempt to transport severely ill patients from Germany to help struggling hospitals was made by its air force.

A source from the health ministry said that Berlin would also make South Africa an area with virus variants after it is detected.

In the past two years, the coronavirus spread rapidly around the globe. It was discovered in China and has infected almost 260 million people.

The Jiji news agency reported that Japan has tightened its border controls to allow visitors from South Africa as well as five other African countries. Reuters reached out to the foreign ministry but they did not respond immediately.

India’s central Government issued an advisory to all countries to test international travel from South Africa earlier this month.

Asian countries are more successful in controlling the pandemic than any other region, thanks to strict pre-emptive measures and rigorous testing. They also have strict borders controls.

Taiwan announced that travelers from countries of high risk in the southern African region will need to be quarantined for 14 days by government officials.

Jacinda Adern, New Zealand’s prime minister, said that her country is fully prepared to face the new type. New Zealand had earlier announced that its borders would be reopened to international travelers who have been fully immunized starting on April 30.

Ardern answered the question whether the plans had to be postponed due to this new variant.

Ardern stated that all of the planning we did around COVID has included the possibility for future variants.