The United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for South Africa, urging its citizens not to travel to the country.

Non-U.S. citizens from South Africa and seven other Southern African are restricted from travelling to the US “until further notice”.

However, unlike Canada, the United Kingdom and other key source markets, the US followed its previous example and has not imposed mandatory quarantine upon arrival from South Africa.

Air capacity out of the US also remains unchanged, with US carriers, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, announcing over the weekend that they have no plans at this stage to revise their US-South Africa routes.

‘Existing vaccines are likely to provide a degree of protection’

US President Joe Biden is expected to announce the country’s response to the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 later today. He was briefed again yesterday by his Chief Medical Advisor, Dr Anthony Fauci, who noted that while it will take approximately two more weeks to have more definitive information on the transmissibility, severity, and other characteristics of the variant, he continues to believe that existing vaccines are likely to provide a degree of protection against severe cases of COVID.

Fauci also reiterated that boosters for fully vaccinated individuals provide the strongest available protection from COVID.  He said the COVID Response Team’s immediate recommendation to all vaccinated adults was to get a booster shot as soon as possible. All adults are eligible for a booster if they were vaccinated six months ago or more with Pfizer or Moderna, or two months ago or more with Johnson & Johnson.