Foreign nationals travelling to the US from those nations will be allowed to board flights to the United States from midnight on December 31, according to White House deputy press secretary Kevin Muñoz.

Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi have all faced restrictions as part of the ban, which was recommended by Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical officer, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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

According to local scientists, omicron has surpassed Delta just a few weeks ago, due to its fast-transmitting infections. mh/pll/mgt/age