The US will lift travel restrictions to eight southern African countries on New Year’s Eve.
The restrictions, imposed on Nov. 29, affecting South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini and Malawi, were meant to blunt the spread of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus. The ban barred nearly all non-US citizens who had recently been to the eight southern African countries.
The curbs were said to be no longer necessary amid a US explosion of cases of the Omicron variant.
