President Joe Biden said he is considering lifting travel restrictions on people arriving from southern African countries, where the Omicron version of the coronavirus was first identified, becoming the dominant strain in the US.
“I’m considering reversal, I’m going to talk with my team over the next few days,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. He said his health advisers had suggested that he reconsider the ban.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday that Omicron now accounts for more than 70% of new US cases of COVID-19.
The US government on November 29 banned people traveling from South Africa and seven other nearby countries after the new version was discovered. The CDC informed airlines the next day that they would have to provide the names of passengers who had traveled to southern Africa in recent days so that local health agencies could conduct contact tracing.
Although travel restrictions have been successful in preventing people infected with the Omicron variant from entering the US, it has not stopped the Covid-19 mutation from rapidly becoming the dominant strain.
Asked about Biden’s comments, Airlines for America, a trade group that represents the large carriers, said in an emailed statement that “as stated by the administration, the recent country-based sanctions relating to Omron Were meant to be temporary, not long-term, and will be updated as more data becomes available.”
Read also: Biden urges Americans to vaccinate to fight Omicron as Europe prepares for a ‘storm’
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.
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