The US will ban entry to travelers from eight African countries due to the Omicrón . variable

The White House announced on Friday that It will ban entry to travelers from eight African countries, in an effort to contain The arrival of the new variant of COVID-19baptized By the World Health Organization on behalf of Omicron.

Travel will be mostly banned from Monday from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique and Malawi, Said a senior official in the administration of President Joe Biden.

Only US citizens and permanent residents The official added that he will be able to travel from the eight countries. The policy was implemented with extreme caution in this light A new type of Covid-19 is spreading in South Africa”, added.

“Our scientists and public health officials are working quickly and are studying this alternative,” the official added. President (Joe) Biden’s Promise Take all necessary steps to keep Americans safe and defeat the pandemic, It was a move recommended by US government medical experts and the Covid-19 response team.

On Friday afternoon, President Biden said that Other countries must match the “generosity” of the United States and donate more vaccines against Covid-19, or the epidemic will not stop.

“This pandemic will not end until we have universal vaccines”He said in a statement from Nantucket, where he was spending the Thanksgiving holiday. As Biden requested of the countries Waiver of Intellectual Property Protection To enable the manufacture of vaccines around the world.

On Friday, the World Health Organization said that the available evidence allows it to be assumed that there is High risk of reinfection with this B.1.1.529 variant, although it did not make new recommendations on travel restriction or other preventive health measures. While that, I have asked the international scientific community to continue follow-up work on this and the new variants.

Earlier, during an interview with CNN, chief advisory epidemiologist to the executive branch, Anthony Fauci said they will make the decision to travel “as soon as they have more information.

before the United States, European UnionIsrael and Canada They were among the countries that made the same decision in an attempt to contain the spread of this new variable.

with everything, It will likely take scientists weeks to fully understand the altered mutations. Health authorities are trying to determine whether omicrón is more transmissible or contagious than other variants and if vaccines are effective against it.

South African Minister of Health, Joe Bhalla described the travel restrictions as “unjustified”, Although he also said preliminary studies suggest the new alternative may be more transmissible.

With information from AFP and EFE

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