(Washington) United States President Joe Biden on Friday announced the closure of U.S. borders, starting Monday, to travelers from eight southern African countries in response to the outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 .
People coming from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi will be prohibited from arriving on American soil, a senior American official said.
Only US nationals and permanent residents of the United States will be allowed to enter the country, he added.
This is a “precautionary measure pending further information” about the “Omicron variant, which is spreading across southern Africa,” Joe Biden said in a statement.
This decision, in the wake of similar measures announced in particular by European countries, comes as US President Joe Biden had just reopened the borders to travelers from around the world in early November, provided they are vaccinated against COVID- 19, after 20 months of restrictions.
“Our scientists and public health officials are working quickly to learn more about this variant,” the US official told reporters.
“President Biden promised to take all necessary measures to ensure the health of Americans and to defeat the pandemic, and this measure was recommended by medical experts in the US government and the COVID-19 team,” he said. -he says.
In his statement, Joe Biden called on Americans who are not yet vaccinated to do so, and adults who are already vaccinated to get a third dose – “the best way to boost your protection,” he said. said.
He also believed that the appearance of the Omicron variant should encourage the rest of the world to give more vaccines to poorer countries.
“Information on this new variant should make it more evident than ever that this pandemic will not end without vaccinations globally. The United States has already given more vaccines to other countries than all the other countries combined. It is time for other countries to do as much as America in terms of speed and generosity, ”wrote the US president.