JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) — Tourism officials in South Africa have denounced new travel restrictions imposed by France because of the surge in omicron variant infections, saying the country feels discriminated against.

Steve Motale, a spokesman for South Africa’s Department of Tourism, said the French government restrictions appear to be aimed at discouraging people from travelling from France to South Africa since they will face a long and costly quarantine after their return.

“It is unfortunate that once again South Africa seems to be discriminated against with no scientific basis,” Motale told the AP Thursday. Mandatory quarantine and additional resources for PCR tests make South Africa an unattractive travel destination, he said.

Amid fast-rising numbers of new COVID-19 infections, South African officials have urged people to get vaccinated before travelling for the holidays and attending festive gatherings.

South Africa’s daily new confirmed cases climbed to more than 26,900 on Wednesday and 24,700 on Thursday, the highest yet in the new wave driven by the omicron variant — and reaching the peak of an earlier surge in June and July caused by delta.

South Africa’s seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen steeply over the past two weeks from 6.4 new cases per 100,000 people on December 1 to 38.5 new cases per 100,000 people on December 15, according to Johns Hopkins University.