WASHINGTON – The United States will bar entry to most travellers from eight southern African countries starting on Monday (Nov. 29), after a potentially more-contagious new coronavirus variant was identified in South Africa, President Joe Biden said on Friday (Nov. 26).
The travel restrictions do not ban flights or apply to U.S. citizens and lawful U.S. permanent residents.
No cases of Omicron were identified in the United States to date, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday (Nov. 26). The agency expects that it would identify the B.1.1.529 variant quickly if it emerges in the country.
Countries around the world rushed to suspend travel from southern Africa after the World Health Organization said Omicron was “of concern.” Many of those bans kick in immediately, unlike those issued by Biden.
The restrictions apply to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi. Most non-U.S. citizens who have been in those countries within the prior 14 days will not be allowed into the United States.
Biden made the announcement while spending the Thanksgiving holiday weekend on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket.
“As a precautionary measure until we have more information, I am ordering additional air travel restrictions from South Africa and seven other countries,” Biden said in a statement.
The president told reporters while on a walk-in Nantucket that his medical team recommended the ban begin on Monday (Nov. 29) instead of immediately.
