According to multiple outlets, the US is going to restrict travel from eight countries in southern Africa on Monday because of a new coronaviruses.
A senior administration official told NBC News that there would be restricted countries. The Washington Post, AP, CNN, and other outlets all reported the same.
The restrictions won't apply to returning US citizens or permanent residents who need to test negative for the virus before traveling, according to the Associated Press.
The variant was first reported in South Africa, and other cases have been reported in other countries.
The World Health Organization reserves the term "variants of concern" for certain coronaviruses, like Delta, that are more transmissible than other strains, cause more severe disease, or are resistant to vaccines. Insider's Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce reported that Omicron's high number of mutations could increase the odds that vaccines and other treatments won't be as effective against the variant.
The new variant of coronaviruses was first detected in South Africa. The country's average daily cases have gone from around 275 to 3,700 per day.
The WHO said that the variant has a large number of defects. Preliminary evidence shows an increased risk of reinfection with this variant.
There is no indication that the new variant is currently circulating in the US, but the country is relatively slow to detect such variant with genetic sequencing, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci on CNN's "New Day" Friday morning.
The story is evolving. You can check back for updates.
They contributed reporting.
