Nearly 24 countries, including the U.S., have now detected the variant. President Biden will extend until mid-March a requirement that travelers wear masks on airplanes, trains and buses and at airports and transit stations, in order to help combat Covid-19. The mandate was first set to expire on Jan. 18.
The strategy will also include a new requirement that international travelers be tested for the coronavirus one day before departing for the United States, according to officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This testing will help to identify any potential carriers of the Omicron variant before they enter the United States. The mask mandate extension was first reported by Reuters on Wednesday.
Much is unknown about the Omicron variant, as it has only been detected in Botswana and South Africa so far, but experts have expressed concern due to its unusually high number of mutations that have the potential to make the virus more transmissible and less susceptible to existing vaccines. President Biden will unveil his strategy as the new variant, known as Omicron, is encircling the globe. On Wednesday, health officials in California announced that a patient in San Francisco who arrived from South Africa was confirmed with Omicron – making him the first case of this variant within America’s borders.
Mr. Biden said earlier this week that the restrictions were intended to buy the administration time; his science advisers, including Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist, have made clear that it would only be a matter of time before the variant arrived in the U.S. President Biden will extend until mid-March a requirement that travelers wear masks on airplanes, trains and buses and at airports and transit stations throughout America, in order to help combat Covid-19. The mask mandate was first set to expire on January 18th according to CNN News sources familiar with the decision.
The strategy will also include a new requirement that international travelers be tested for the coronavirus one day before departing for the United States, according to officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This testing will help to identify any potential carriers of the Omicron variant before they enter the United States.
The president has already imposed travel restrictions on people coming to the United States from eight African nations, including South Africa. Mr. Biden said earlier this week that the restrictions were intended to buy the administration time; his science advisers, including Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist, have made clear that it would only be a matter of time before the variant arrived in America.
As Covid-19 continues to spread across the globe, with nearly two dozen countries now detecting the Omicron variant, President Biden will unveil on Thursday a new strategy to combat the virus. The strategy will include a new requirement that international travelers be tested for the coronavirus one day before departing for the United States.
