Biden Administration Restricts Travel from South Africa & Neighboring Countries Due to New COVID-19 Variant

On November 26, 2021, the Biden Administration issued a proclamation suspending the entry into the United States of immigrants and nonimmigrants who have been physically present in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Eswatini, and Lesotho, during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States, due to the newly identified COVID-19 Omicron variant. The suspension took effect 12:01 AM EDT on Monday, November 29th. The new travel restriction came into effect just three weeks after the United States rescinded the regional COVID-19 travel bans for 33 countries, including South Africa, and replaced it on November 8th with a global requirement for all foreign travelers to be fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to travel to the United States. The U.S. Department of State has not yet issued any guidance on national interest exceptions to the new travel ban. Similar to the previous travel bans, U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, and certain immediate relatives are not subject to the new travel restrictions. All travelers, even those exempt or granted a national interest exception to the new proclamation, are still subject to the U.S. vaccination requirement and CDC testing orders for travel to the United States.