US to lift restrictions on entry from African countries | News from Germany on world events

The United States next week will lift travel restrictions from eight African states imposed by the spread of the new variant of the omicron coronavirus. This was announced on Friday, December 24, by Assistant Press Secretary of the White House Kevin Muñoz.

According to him, US President Joe Biden will announce the lifting of restrictions on December 31. This decision has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The temporary travel ban gave scientists the time they needed to study a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and conclude that available vaccines are effective against it, Muñoz said.

In connection with the rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in the world, on November 29, the American authorities banned entry to the United States from eight states located in southern Africa. Among them are Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and South Africa. Restrictions do not apply to American citizens returning from these countries.

Since the registration of the first case of omicron in the United States in early December, this variant of the virus has already become dominant in the country. It accounted for more than 70 percent of new infections last week, according to the CDC.

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