US to lift travel ban on 8 southern African countries

President Joe Biden signs the "Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act" into law during a ceremony in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Holdiaymakers enjoy a day at Strand Beach near Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. South Africa's drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal the country's dramatic omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will lift travel restrictions to eight southern African countries on New Year's Eve, the White House announced Friday.

The restrictions, imposed last month, were meant to blunt the spread of the COVID omicron variant.

The Nov. 29 ban barred nearly all non-U.S. citizens who had recently been in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said on Twitter that the decision was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Munoz said the temporary travel bans bought scientists necessary time to study the new virus variant and conclude that the current vaccinations are effective in blunting its impact.

Omicron is now spreading rapidly throughout the U.S., including among the vaccinated, but a huge majority of those being hospitalized are unvaccinated.

“The restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron, esp boosted,” Munoz wrote on Twitter.