Biden Backtracks on Travel Restrictions for Several African Countries

President Biden has now backtracked on former restrictions his administration had previously placed on several African countries.

As The Hill reports:

President Biden on Tuesday revoked the travel restrictions his administration imposed on eight countries in southern Africa over the spread of the omicron variant, saying the measures were no longer necessary.

“Since I issued that proclamation, our Nation’s health officials, in collaboration with the South African scientists who originally reported the variant, have made substantial progress in understanding the Omicron variant,” Biden said in a proclamation rescinding the travel restrictions.

“Importantly, scientific experts have determined that people who are vaccinated against COVID-19 are protected against severe disease and hospitalization from the Omicron variant,” Biden continued. “Moreover, the Omicron variant has now spread to more than 100 countries, and it is prevalent in the United States.”

The U.S. late last month restricted travel from eight African countries — Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe — after scientists in southern Africa first discovered the omicron variant.

Biden Administration officials had previously justified the bans by claiming they bought others valuable time.

Matthew Williams