The Biden administration will lift its travel restrictions for eight countries in southern Africa that were among the first to be hit hard by the COVID-19 omicron variant, a White House official said Friday.
What You Need To Know
- The Biden administration will lift its travel restrictions for eight countries in southern Africa that were among the first to be hit hard by the COVID-19 omicron variant, a White House official said Friday
- According to Reuters, which was the first to report on the plans, the travel restrictions will be lifted at 12:01 a.m. on New Year’s Eve
- On Nov. 29, the U.S. barred travel for nearly all non-citizens who had recently been to South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe
- President Joe Biden said at the time the restrictions were “a precautionary measure until we have more information"
White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz confirmed a Reuters report about the administration’s plans on Twitter, writing: “On Dec. 31, @POTUS will lift the temporary travel restrictions on Southern Africa countries. This decision was recommended by @CDCgov. The restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron, esp boosted.”
According to Reuters, which was the first to report on the plans, the travel restrictions will be lifted at 12:01 a.m. on New Year’s Eve.
On Nov. 29, the U.S. barred travel for nearly all non-citizens who had recently been in South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. President Joe Biden said at the time the restrictions were “a precautionary measure until we have more information.”
In the weeks since, the omicron variant has become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.
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