Biden Administration Braces for New COVID-19 Variant Omicron

The U.S. is exercising caution in response to a newly detected variant of the coronavirus called omicron, which the World Health Organization on Friday designated a highly transmissible “variant of concern.” Hours after Friday’s news, the Biden administration announced that starting Monday, the U.S. would restrict travel from South Africa—where researchers first detected omicron—and seven other African countries. (The restrictions won’t apply to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.) “I’ve decided that we’re going to be cautious,” President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday, speaking of the forthcoming ban. “We don’t know a lot about the variant except that it… Read Full Article