Biden administration lifts travel ban on 8 southern Africa nations

The White House will on New Year's Eve lift a temporary travel ban on eight southern African nations

The ban, instituted on Nov. 29, applied to almost all non-U.S. citizens who had traveled recently to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The travel restrictions were created after the COVID-19 variant Omicron was discovered in South Africa in November.

White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz confirmed the decision, first reported by Reuters, in a tweet Friday.

He stated that the ban was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron, esp boosted," Munoz wrote.