The United States and Canada announced on Friday (26) the closure of their borders to travelers from eight southern African countries, in response to the emergence of the Ômicron variant of the coronavirus.
Joe Biden’s government said people from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini (or Swaziland), Mozambique and Malawi would be banned from entering the American territory from Monday (29).
Only US citizens and those with permanent residence in the United States will be allowed to enter the country from those countries, a senior US official noted, on condition of anonymity.
“The policy has been implemented as a precaution in light of a new variant of Covid-19 circulating in southern Africa,” he explained, saying US public health experts and officials are working quickly to get more data on the Ômicron variant.
“President Biden has pledged to take whatever steps are necessary to keep Americans safe and to defeat the pandemic, and this was a step recommended by US government medical experts and the Covid-19 response team. “, he added.
Canada has also banned travelers from the same southern African countries, except Malawi, from entering the country.
“We must act quickly to protect Canadians,” Health Minister Jean Yves Duclos explained at a press conference, informing of restrictions for the seven countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the B.1.1.529 strain of the coronavirus, first reported by South Africa on November 24, was a “disturbing variant” and named it Ômicron.
“Travel aficionado. Twitter scholar. Writer. Extreme coffee guru. Evil pop culture fanatic.”