The White House has announced that it will end the ban on entry by citizens from eight southern African countries into the US, which was enacted during the outbreak of the Covid Omicron variant.
The ban will be lifted on December 31.
On November 29, the restrictions were put in place for nearly all non-U. S. citizens who had recently been in South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe were among the people who had recently been in South Africa.
The Omicron variant was first identified in South Africa and has spread around the world.
Both the World Health Organization and countries in southern Africa criticized the U.S. travel ban, claiming it was unfair and ineffective.
On Twitter, White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said that the decision to ban travelers from southern Africa had been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Munoz said that the temporary travel bans allowed scientists more time to study the new variant and determine the effectiveness of vaccinations in fighting the Omicron variant.
Munoz tweeted that the restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron.