President Biden Lifts Restrictions for Travelers from Southern Africa

The Biden administration announced yesterday that it is ending the current restriction on travelers from eight countries in Southern Africa on December 31, 2021.  The travel restriction was implemented on November 26, 2021 in an effort to curb the spread of a new COVID-19 variant (“Omicron”), and suspended entry for travelers who have been physically present in the following countries during the 14-day period prior to their attempted entry into the US:

  • Republic of Botswana

  • Kingdom of Eswatini

  • Kingdom of Lesotho

  • Republic of Malawi

  • Republic of Mozambique

  • Republic of Namibia

  • Republic of South Africa

  • Republic of Zimbabwe

In his proclamation lifting the restriction, President Biden cited new findings about Omicron, including its presence in over 100 countries, and the CDC’s observation that fully vaccinated individuals are protected against severe disease and hospitalization from the variant.

President Biden also reminded the public about the travel guidelines that went into place on November 8, 2021, and replaced country-by-country restrictions with simplified vaccination requirements. If you would like to review these current guidelines, you can read our blog post on them here. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. Please contact me if you would like to discuss this development further.

Nadia Yakoob