26th November, 2021
The United States said it will impose travel ban on South Africa and seven other countries starting on Monday.
The travel ban followed the detection of Omicron, the highly transmissible new variant of COVID in the region.
The other countries affected by the travel ban are Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi, the White House said on Friday.
‘The policy was implemented out of an abundance of caution,’ a senior White House official said.
UK and EU have already imposed travel bans on the southern African countries.
The decision was made on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the COVID-19 Response Team, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the President’s Chief Medical Advisor.
‘Our scientists and public health officials are working quickly to learn more about this variant,’ the official said.