Skip to main content

USA-EndsTravel Restrictions for African Nations

Biden confirms end of Omicron travel curbs for African nations.

US president says restrictions are ‘no longer necessary’, as new COVID-19 variant becomes dominant strain.

US President Joe Biden has formally ordered an end to travel restrictions on eight southern African countries imposed last month to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, saying that the curbs are “no longer necessary to protect the public health”.

Biden issued a proclamation on Tuesday repealing the restrictions on travel into the United States from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

The ban will be lifted at 12:01am (05:01 GMT) on Friday.

The Biden administration had announced its intention to undo the travel restrictions late last week, as health officials announced Omicron already had become the dominant strain of the virus in the country.

"Importantly, scientific experts have determined that people who are vaccinated against COVID-19 are protected against severe disease and hospitalization from the Omicron variant,” Biden said in Tuesday’s decree.

"Moreover, the Omicron variant has now spread to more than 100 countries, and it is prevalent in the United States.”

The US and numerous countries around the world imposed travel bans on southern African nations late in November after the Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) designated the Omicron strain a “variant of concern” on November 26.

The WHO said earlier this month that there is “consistent evidence” that Omicron is spreading “significantly faster” than the previously dominant Delta variant. “And it is more likely people vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 could be infected or re-infected,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“Moreover, the Omicron variant has now spread to more than 100 countries, and it is prevalent in the United States.”

But researchers in South Africa and the UK have said their studies suggested that the new variant may lead to less severe illness and a lower risk of hospitalisation than the Delta strain.

The WHO had warned against travel restrictions after the Omicron variant was identified, saying that such measures pose challenges to global cooperation against the virus.

In early December, Tedros advised against “blanket travel bans”, which he said “place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods”.

In the US, the Omicron variant has spread quickly despite the travel restrictions.

On Tuesday, new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that Omicron accounted for 58.6 percent of new COVID-19 infections over the past week.

Infections have been on the rise across the US, with states including New York and Maine registering record numbers of new infections in the last seven days.

On Monday, the CDC shortened its quarantine recommendations for asymptomatic patients who test positive from COVID-19 from 10 to five days.

“These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “Prevention is our best option: get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial and high community transmission, and take a test before you gather.”

Culled: Aljazeera 


Comments

Post a Comment

Type your comments here

Popular posts from this blog

You And Your Health-Why Hair Turns Gray

The Real Reasons Hair Turns Gray, According to Dermatologists. Whether you discovered your first silver strand or you’ve decided to let your natural hair color shine, it’s normal to find yourself wondering, why does hair turn gray? And while we’ve touted ways to embrace and style your gray hair, the science behind why white and gray strands occur is actually quite interesting. We’ve all heard the thought that stress causes gray hair, and in fact, recent studies suggest a link between the two.  But, there are so many more reasons why your locks might be getting lighter. In fact, general aging and even your genes could have a lot more to do with your silver strands than you might think. Underlying health conditions like vitamin deficiency or alopecia could even be a factor. Ahead, we asked dermatologists to explain why hair turns gray, what causes premature graying, and if it’s possible to reverse gray hair. Why does hair turn gray? “Gray hair is really hair with less melanin, what gives
3 comments
Read more

Breaking News: Senators ThreatensTo Impeach President Muhammadu Buhari

Senators, on Tuesday orchestrated a walkout after demanding the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari. The Senators mainly of the minority party expressed serious concerns over the worsening insecurity in the country. After a two hour closed door section, by the senators; the senators were angry that the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan did not allow them to discuss the issue of insecurity that was deliberated upon extensively in the closed session. The Senators across party lines later  addressed journalists and gave Buhari, six weeks to end the insecurity in the country or face impeachment. Senator Phillip Aduda, the Minority Leader of the Senate,  moved a point of order seeking to discuss insecurity on the floor of the Senate but Lawan ruled him out of order. Aduda, then led his colleagues to the Senate Press Centre where he told journalists that Buhari would be shown the way out if he failed to tackle insecurity within the next six months. Aduda announced, “We agree
2 comments
Read more

A Time In History

History: Did you Know that Forks Were Considered to be Sacrilegious in the past? Here's why. A   cutlery or kitchenware, a fork is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tines with which one can spear foods either to hold them to cut with a knife or to lift them to the mouth. In an article about the origins of the fork, by Chad Ward, at Leite's Culinaria. It turns out the fork is a relatively new invention. Although the first forks were used in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, the two-tined instruments were used only as cooking tools at the time. It wasn't until the Middle Ages that a smaller version was used for eating by wealthy families of the Middle East and Byzantine Empire. What the fork? Forks, the widely used eating utensils, were once seen as blasphemous. They were first introduced in Italy in the 11th Century.  These spiked spaghetti-twirling instruments were seen as a
1 comment
Read more