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With US swamped by omicron, Biden scraps travel bans

With US swamped by omicron, Biden scraps travel bans

Enlarge (credit: Craig Hastings | Getty Images)

President Joe Biden on Tuesday issued a proclamation revoking controversial travel restrictions targeting southern Africa where the ultra-transmissible omicron coronavirus variant was first detected in late November.

The travel limitations on eight countries in southern Africa—Botswana, Eswatini/Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe—will be lifted at 12: 01am ET on December 31.

The revocation was long sought by public health experts, who say such travel bans are ineffective and harmful.

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