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

Israel To Pump Water From The Mediterranean sea, To Top Up The Sea Of Galilee

  The Sea of Galilee, Israel, despite its name, the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel is actually a freshwater lake, and it's one that has sustained life for millennia. Even today, the lake irrigates vineyards and local farms that grow everything from green vegetables to wheat and tangerines. Its archeology, hot springs and hiking trails bring tourism and livelihoods for local communities. But this place of religious pilgrimage — where the New Testament says many of Jesus' miracles were performed — is facing a bleak future, CNN reports. The climate crisis is causing huge fluctuations in the lake's water levels. Now it happens to be fairly full, but just five years ago, it hit a record low. Climate change and unsustainable water management are leaving lakes dried up all over the Middle East and beyond, but the Israeli government is hopeful it has a solution: It plans to pump water from the Mediterranean sea, take the salt out of it and send it across the country to top up th...
4 comments
Read more

The Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)-Arrest The Accountant General Of The Federation, Ahmed Idris

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has arrested the Accountant general of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, in connection with diversion of funds and money laundering activities to the tune of N80bn. The Spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said this in a statement on Monday titled, ‘EFCC arrests Ahmed Idris, Accountant General of the Federation, for N80bn Fraud’, that is about $200m (£162m) of public funds. The commission said Mr Idris had used family members and close associates to defraud the government and invest the proceeds in real estate in Nigeria. EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren said Idris was arrested after failing to honour the Commission’s invitations. “The Commission’s verified intelligence showed that the AGF raked off the funds through bogus consultancies and other illegal activities using proxies, family members and close associates,” Uwujaren said in a statement. “The funds were laundered through real estate investments in Kano and Abuja.” There ...
3 comments
Read more

Maitama, Abuja - One Shot Dead As Suspected ‘Kidnappers’ Strike

  One person was gunned down when men suspected to be kidnappers attacked Gana Street in Maitama, Abuja. The incident is said to have occurred at about 8:46pm on Wednesday. According to the Daily Trust,  a resident, who pleaded anonymity, told Daily Trust that the victim was killed while trying to rescue a man that was being forced into a black Prado SUV by the suspected kidnappers. He specifically said the SUV was parked at Number 44 Gana street where the victim was shot in the head by one of the suspects and he died immediately. The source added that the suspects escaped with their victim while the body of the deceased was still on the street at the time of the incident. He added that this is the second incident happening at the same Gana street in the past few weeks. The resident said some persons loitering around the place may be behind the attacks. He said the boys loitering around area usually target pharmaceutical stores and supermarket in Maitama, alleging that police ...
Post a Comment
Read more