On November 26, 2021, the Biden administration issued a proclamation that bans travel to the U.S.
for individuals who have been present in a number of countries in
southern Africa within the past 14 days. The travel ban takes
effect on Monday, November 29 at 12:01 am ET. With some exceptions,
individuals who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are
subject to the travel ban, which prevents most entry to the U.S.
for those who have been physically present in Botswana, Eswatini,
Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and
Zimbabwe.
This ban was enacted in response to the “Omicron”
B.1.1.529 COVID-19 variant, based on guidance from the World Health
Organization (WHO) regarding increased risk of reinfection from
this variant and the increased number of cases in South Africa.