US to impose travel curbs on eight Southern African countries over new Covid-19 variant

US President Joe Biden will restrict travel to the US from eight Southern African countries effective Monday over concerns about a new Covid-19 variant found in SA, a senior administration official said on Friday.

The official said the restrictions will apply to SA, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi and were being “implemented out of an abundance of caution in light of a new Covid-19 variant circulating in Southern Africa”.

The policy does not ban flights or apply to American citizens and lawful permanent residents, the official said. The US only lifted travel restrictions on SA on November 8.