Amid the discovery of the new highly infectious "Omicron" variant of the coronavirus, the Biden administration has imposed a travel ban on eight African countries.
The restrictions apply to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi, a senior administrative official told Politico.
The prohibition on travel to the U.S. from these nations begins Monday following the holiday weekend. The decision was prompted by the World Health Organization's emergency meeting Friday, in which the agency classified the emerging virus as a highly transmissible strain. A statement from the meeting confirmed that the variant has many mutations that could render it potentially resistant to the current vaccine as well natural immunity provided by prior infection.
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