Well, if you go back and look at when we first found out about these cases that were emerging in South Africa, no one feels I certainly don't. That a travel ban is gonna prevent people who are infected from coming to the United States. But we needed to buy some time to be able to prepare, understand what's going on. What is the nature of this infection? What is the nature of the transmissibility? And we wanted to make sure that we didn't all of a sudden say it's like anything else don't worry about and then all of a sudden something unfolds in front of you that you're really not prepared for. So we look at this as a temporary measure, mm hmm.
Biden to lift travel restrictions on 8 southern African countries
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Updated: 10:29 AM EST Dec 24, 2021
The U.S. will lift travel restrictions to eight southern African countries on New Year's Eve, the White House announced Friday. The restrictions, imposed last month, were meant to blunt the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant.Video above: Travel bans buy time to understand omicron, Fauci saysThe Nov. 29 ban barred nearly all non-U.S. citizens who had recently been in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said on Twitter that the decision was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Munoz said the temporary travel bans bought scientists necessary time to study the new virus variant and conclude that the current vaccinations are effective in blunting its impact.Omicron is now spreading rapidly throughout the U.S., including among the vaccinated, but a huge majority of those being hospitalized are unvaccinated."The restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron, esp boosted," Munoz wrote on Twitter.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will lift travel restrictions to eight southern African countries on New Year's Eve, the White House announced Friday.
The restrictions, imposed last month, were meant to blunt the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant.
Video above: Travel bans buy time to understand omicron, Fauci says
The Nov. 29 ban barred nearly all non-U.S. citizens who had recently been in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.
White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said on Twitter that the decision was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Munoz said the temporary travel bans bought scientists necessary time to study the new virus variant and conclude that the current vaccinations are effective in blunting its impact.
Omicron is now spreading rapidly throughout the U.S., including among the vaccinated, but a huge majority of those being hospitalized are unvaccinated.
"The restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron, esp boosted," Munoz wrote on Twitter.
