Fri 24 December 2021:
Travel restrictions on travelers from Southern African countries, which were imposed last month due to concerns about the spread of the Omicron coronavirus type, will be eased, according to a Biden administration official.
Kevin Munoz, the White House’s assistant press secretary, stated in a tweet on Friday that the restrictions would be withdrawn on December 31, as recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron, [especially] boosted,” Munoz wrote.
The US was among several countries to impose travel restrictions on countries in Southern Africa after scientists in South Africa first identified Omicron on November 24. The World Health Organization (WHO) then dubbed the strain a “variant of concern” and warned it posed a “very high risk”.
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. https://t.co/NdRTtntRuE
— Kevin Munoz (@KMunoz46) December 24, 2021
The World Health Organization and other global health experts, however, have criticized the travel bans, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying on December 1 that restrictions that isolate any one country or region are “not only deeply unfair and punitive — they are ineffective.”
“With a virus that is truly borderless, travel restrictions that isolate any one country or region are not only deeply unfair and punitive – they are ineffective,” Guterres said at a news conference at that time, calling instead for increased testing for travellers.
South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi were all affected by the US boycott.
The CDC said earlier this week that Omicron has become the dominant coronavirus strain in the US, accounting for 73 percent of new infections.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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