The White House will soon lift its ban on travelers from southern African countries, which was imposed in November to curb the spread of the coronaviruses, which has spread throughout the U.S.
People are at the airport in Boston.
The Associated Press.
The travel restrictions will be lifted on December 31st.
The change was recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The travel ban was meant to reduce the number of cases coming in rather than keeping them out, according to a senior White House official.
Most non-U.S. citizens were affected by the ban, which was imposed on November 29.
The decision was recommended by the CDC for two reasons, one of which is that our nation's health officials have made progress in understanding Omicron, and the other is that our existing vaccines are effective against severe disease with Omicron, especially if you're boosted. International travelers from countries that have Omicron will not have a significant impact on US cases.
The number is big.
There was a majority of 73%. The percentage of new Covid-19 cases linked to the omicron variant increased last week.
The White House changed its international travel protocols in December to require all visitors to the US to have a negative Covid-19 test result within 24 hours of their flight.
The key background.
The U.S. was one of a number of countries to impose travel restrictions after the omicron variant was first detected in southern Africa. The travel policies were criticized by many, with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres likening them to travel apartheid. President Joe Biden said in an address in November that the policy of keeping travelers out of the U.S. gave us time to take more actions, but it wouldn't prevent them from entering. The travel ban is the only major restriction the federal government has imposed to combat the spread of omicron, though the White House has pledged to ramp up testing, vaccinations and expand hospital capacity, due to the fact that Biden wouldn't advocate for lockdowns or other domestic restrictions due to the
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