US to lift omicron-linked travel ban on southern Africa

WASHINGTON – The U.S. volition assistance question restrictions connected 8 confederate African countries that it imposed to effort to blunt the dispersed of the COVID omicron variant, the White House announced Friday.

The variant, which was archetypal detected by scientists successful South Africa, has since dispersed astir the world. The World Health Organization and leaders successful confederate Africa criticized the question prohibition arsenic ineffective and unfairly damaging to section economies.

The Nov. 29 prohibition barred astir each non-U.S. citizens who had precocious been successful South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The restrictions volition beryllium lifted connected New Year's Eve.

White House spokesperson Kevin Munoz said connected Twitter that the determination was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Munoz said the impermanent question bans bought scientists indispensable clip to survey the caller microorganism variant and reason that the existent vaccinations are effectual successful blunting its impact.

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Omicron is present spreading rapidly passim the U.S., including among the vaccinated, but a immense bulk of those being hospitalized are unvaccinated.

“The restrictions gave america clip to recognize Omicron and we cognize our existing vaccines enactment against Omicron, esp boosted,” Munoz tweeted.

Much astir the omicron coronavirus variant remains unknown; scientists accidental omicron spreads adjacent easier than different coronavirus strains, including delta. The authorities reports that 73% of caller infections nationwide are from the omicron variant. But portion breakthrough infections among vaccinated radical person go common, they person seldom led to terrible unwellness oregon hospitalization.

The accelerated beforehand of omicron, on with much radical gathering indoors during winter, has led to a large corruption spike. The seven-day rolling mean for U.S. COVID-19 cases climbed past 160,000 this week, according to information collected by Johns Hopkins University. That’s much than treble the mean successful precocious November.

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The accelerated dispersed of the caller variant hasn't overwhelmed astir home infirmary systems yet, but it has roiled businesses, sports leagues and Christmas question plans crossed the country. Multiple NBA and NFL games person been rescheduled owed to COVID outbreaks, and the Hawaii Bowl, scheduled for Friday, was cancelled outright aft Hawaii was forced to withdraw. Three large airlines person cancelled dozens of domestic and planetary flights, citing staffing shortages.

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