US Travel Ban Temporary Measure To Allow Time To Analyze Omicron Variant - Fauci

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2021) The travel ban the US government recently imposed on eight countries is a temporary measure to enable extra time to analyze the new coronavirus variant Omicron, Chief Medical Adviser to the President Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday.

"(N)o one feels, I certainly don't, that a travel ban is going to prevent people who are infected from coming to the United States, but we needed to buy some time to be able to prepare, understand what's going on," Fauci said during a press briefing. "So, we look at this as a temporary measure."

Starting on Monday, the US government restricted entry to foreign travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi given that the new variant emerged from southern Africa.� South African health official said the variant was detected in fully vaccinated individuals, was more transmissible but the cases have been mild.