HomeOmicron Variant: U.S. Bans Travel From South Africa Starting Monday

Omicron Variant: U.S. Bans Travel From South Africa Starting Monday

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President Joe Biden announced new travel restrictions on Friday for countries in southern Africa, joining a growing number of other countries in an effort to contain the spread of a potentially lethal new Covid-19 variant B.1.1.529 that has roiled global markets.

According to senior government officials, travel from South Africa and seven other nations would be restricted beginning Monday. Biden described the decision as a “precautionary measure until we have more information” in a statement.

Apart from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi are all affected by the restrictions. According to administration officials, the rule does not apply to American citizens and lawful permanent residents, though they must still test negative before traveling to the United States.

The restriction may exacerbate investor concerns about the variant, which sparked a market sell-off as investors analyzed growing evidence regarding its potency and spread rate. Friday’s brief session saw the S&P 500 settle 2.3 percent lower, the largest one-day decline since February, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index fell 2.1 percent. On the day, the Bloomberg EMEA Airlines Index fell 11.3 percent.

The World Health Organization designated the mutated virus, named Omicron, as a “variant of concern.” Earlier in the day, countries throughout Europe, as well as Canada, suspended aviation flights from southern Africa.

“As we move forward, we will continue to be guided by what the science and my medical team advises,” Biden said in a statement.

“The news about this new variant should make clearer than ever why this pandemic will not end until we have global vaccinations.”

The move by the United States represents a 180 degree turn for Biden’s administration, which earlier this month abandoned country- or region-specific restrictions in favor of a system based on a traveler’s vaccination status. With Friday’s notification, the US now has a hybrid system of travel restrictions on unvaccinated foreigners and a larger prohibition on the eight countries listed Friday, which have comparatively low vaccination rates.

Anthony Fauci, one of Vice President Biden’s top health advisers, said earlier Friday that officials will act after consulting with South African counterparts. Biden stated that he arrived at the decision following a briefing with Fauci and members of his Covid-19 reaction team. 

Midday New York time on Friday, American health officials spoke with their South African counterparts to obtain medical and scientific data about the newly identified strain. In order to understand more about the mutation, the administration is in contact with health experts in southern Africa.

Biden urged Americans to get immunized and booster doses to strengthen their own defenses. Six months after their second shot, or two months after receiving Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine, all adults in the United States are eligible for boosters.

BidBiden also urged other countries to increase vaccine donations and for a WTO ministerial conference next week “to waive intellectual property protections for Covid vaccines, so these vaccines can be manufactured globally.”

President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen advocated enacting an emergency restriction on air travel from southern Africa until the risks are better understood. The routes were also closed in the United Kingdom, despite the fact that no instances of the new type had been found in the nation.

It’s feared that the mutated new coronavirus would be more resistant to immunizations and the body’s natural immune response following previous infections.

The limitations are being implemented under section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, one official explained, the same law that was used earlier in the pandemic to restrict direct travel from Europe and others.

Image Credit: Getty

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