THE United States Government is lifting restrictions on travelers from Lesotho and seven other countries in southern Africa including South Africa, starting on Friday.
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Jan. 4, 2022
OWN CORRESPONDENT
1 min read
US lifts travel ban on Lesotho
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The temporary curbs were imposed in late November
The restrictions have not prevented Omicron from rapidly spreading
The temporary curbs were imposed in late November after the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was detected by SA scientists.
The White House said the restrictions, imposed due to the omicron variant, were no longer necessary. Elsewhere, omicron has become the main source of infections in France.
The White House said the restrictions were no longer necessary and that measures affecting Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and Malawi will be lifted.
“The restrictions gave us time to understand omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against omicron, esp boosted,” a White House spokesman said.
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However, the restrictions have not prevented Omicron from rapidly becoming the dominant strain in the US.
According to latest figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country saw an average 316 000 infections every day for the past seven days.
This is a jump from last year when the seven-day average of infections in December and January only rose to around 250 000 per day. Coronavirus Digest
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