As initial data suggests the omicron variant may not be as lethal as initially feared, the U.S. is considering loosening its ban against foreign travel from South Africa and several other nations in southern Africa.
U.S. May Loosen Africa Travel Ban
Appearing on CNN’s State of the Nation, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden, suggested initials signs indicate the omicron variant is not as severe as delta, though it is too early to make conclusive determinations:
“Thus far – though it’s too early to really make any definitive statements about it – it does not look like there’s a great degree of severity to it, but we’ve really got to be careful before we make any determinations that it is less severe or really doesn’t cause any severe illness comparable to delta.
“But thus far, the signals are a bit encouraging regarding the severity. But again we’ve got to hold judgement until we get more experienced.”
Addressing the travel ban impacting foreign nationals who have recently visited one or more of seven countries in southern Africa, Fauci added:
“When the ban was put on, it was put to give us time to figure out just what is going on. Now as you mentioned, as we are getting more and more information about cases in our own country and worldwide, we’re looking at that very carefully on a daily basis.”
Fauci feels “badly” over the hardship placed on African nations and as a result, the U.S. is reevaluating its latest travel restrictions
“We all feel very badly about the hardship that might have put upon not only South Africa but the other African countries. For that reason, in real time – literally on a daily basis -we are reevaluating that policy.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres derided the travel bans last week, calling it “deeply unfair” to isolate a single region and labeling the ban “travel apartheid.”
CONCLUSION
With information slowly emerging that the omicron variant may not be as lethal as initially feared, the U.S. is considering loosening its harsh travel restrictions impacting nine nations.
My personal guess, however, is that the travel restrictions will remain in place as hospitalization rates continue to climb in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Hospitalizations have risen four-fold over the last two weeks to all-time highs and new case numbers in South Africa are again approaching the worst of the pandemic.
> Read More: U.S. To Restrict Travel From South Africa, 7 Other Nations
This new “African Ban,” is designed to make it harder for black and brown people to immigrate to the United States. It’s essentially a form of apartheid. Joe Biden and his minders should be ashamed of themselves for such an overt act of racism.
Asia has had a white ban for the last two years. Awful.
Since when do white lives matter?
I see what you did there, you DCA neophyte. Always “National”, never “Reagan”!
Not really, since it also applies to white non-US travelers who have visited those countries as well, no?
Are they not African-adjacent? Asians are white-adjacent according to anti-racists, after all.
It seems Matthew could sense that Saint Fauci’s English was off. Fauci is certainly prone to misstatements. The sort of person who confuses “bad” and “badly” likely could easily confuse himself and science. Would that be a form of metonymy or merely a synonym (“Attacks on me, quite frankly, are attacks on science.”)? Do you think he confused “masks work” with “masks don’t work?” He did make statements implying both, after all.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/do-you-feel-bad-or-feel-badly
“Are they not African-adjacent? Asians are white-adjacent according to anti-racists, after all.”
Er, no. But keep trolling sweetie.
Really? These are from the first page on Google when I search for “asians white adjacent.”
https://medium.com/projectinclude/we-need-to-talk-about-what-it-means-to-be-white-adjacent-in-tech-f91fbcce7a42
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/08/the-whitening-of-asian-americans/563336/
https://www.newsweek.com/critical-race-theory-has-no-idea-what-do-asian-americans-opinion-1608984
https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2020/01/15/asian-americans-people-of-color
https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/asian-benefit-from-white-privilege/
From the Newsweek link:
However, with the emergence of several racial groups that have come to be just as successful as whites, critical race theorists have come up with the term, “white adjacency.” Robin DiAngelo, author of the now-infamous book White Fragility, defines it this way: “The closer you are to whiteness—the term often used is white-adjacent—you’re still going to experience racism, but there are going to be some benefits due to your perceived proximity to whiteness. The further away you are, the more intense the oppression’s going to be.” According to CRT advocates, Asian Americans are the most “white-adjacent” minority.
Try harder, comrade. You may think you are on the right side of history, but truth is on my side.
Yes, keep trolling with issues that have nothing to do with the points being made, and keep distracting and diverting.
Try harder, fascist. You may think you are on the right side of history, but your truth isn’t worth all that much. Keep living like it’s 1951 if it makes you feel better though.
My reply was relevant to Joe Chivas’s regarding the “African ban.” It is identitarian progressives like you who have made every issue about race/gender/sexuality. Keep pretending that your ideal society is better than what has existed in America. Your version has already been tried numerous times and failed in every instance despite their revolutionaries and leaders having the noblest of ideals.
Wrong as always! For one thing, you and he are the ones bringing up race into this conversation. For another, it is a ban on people currently in those countries or people passing through those countries. Citizens from those countries who are residing in other countries not on the banned list can visit the US, providing they meet the requirements for entry.
But keep grasping at straws to promote your backward throwback outdated views on the world.
“I’m not a racist, you’re racist for pointing out my racism!”
Ah, but when Trump makes travel bans, he is a racist, right? Folx like you try to smear anyone who disagrees with you as a white supremacist. We are not fooled. “Freedumb” is an outdated concept to the vanguard of progressivism.
Are you that obtuse on purpose? Trump’s “Muslim ban” applied to citizens of those countries no matter where they were residing. Not the same as banning people – citizens, residents, tourists, people transiting through those countries – who have been in that particular country within the period of time specified.
Nobody needs to paint people like you as a white supremacist, you are doing a fine job of doing that yourself.
https://theweek.com/coronavirus/1007503/conservatives-cry-hypocrisy-after-biden-bans-travel-from-8-african-countries
Hypocrite much?
Call me a white supremacist all you want. It is nonsense. You don’t even know what race I am. You have made very clear your bleeding heart SJWism and obsession with race and I don’t judge your beliefs on the basis of your raee. Identitarianism is the real racism. The National Museum of African American History and Culture, part of the Smithsonian, identified “hard work, self-reliance, respect of authority and the nuclear family” as elements of “whiteness.” What does that leave for black folx? Blaming white folx for all of society’s ills won’t improve society and it doesn’t help black folx one bit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev373c7wSRg
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article244309587.html
The perversity of ‘reverse Apartheid’ in South Africa is real and is enough to warrant a permanent travel ban.
That just means they will expand it to more African countries.
The same Fauci that said you could get AIDS by being around gay people?
Yup
Fauci needs to evaluate Deez Nutz
The only thing Anthony Fauci feels badly about is the fact that some people don’t kiss his ass like Biden does.
Fauci needs to be replaced. He is a media hound, who has never met a camera or microphone he will not appear before. His guidance over the past two years has been all over the map. His own institute, despite his denials, funded “gain of function” research at the Wuhan labs (after his denial, his own board refuted his statement). He has no credibility.