Published on :
–
The Covid-19 variant Omicron, detected for the first time in South Africa, continues to cause concern in the international community. The United States announces that it will tighten its conditions of entry into the territory.
Officially reported in South Africa on November 24, this highly contagious new variant is believed to have actually started to spread around the world several days earlier. Dutch health authorities announced on Tuesday that Omicron was already circulating in the Netherlands on November 19. From Africa to the Pacific, from Canada to Italy, via Germany and the United Kingdom, the new variant of Covid-19 has already had time to go around the world.
Many countries have already taken restrictive measures to stem the spread of Omicron. While scientific research continues to learn more about the dangerousness of the variant and its possible resistance to current vaccines, the WHO continues to call for not closing borders.
- 6:30 a.m .: United States to toughen entry requirements
The United States will require all travelers entering its territory by air to present a negative test for Covid-19 carried out 24 hours before their departure, because of fears raised by the new variant of the coronavirus, have the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said late Tuesday.
Currently, vaccinated international travelers can have a negative coronavirus test performed within three days of departure. This new measure would apply to both US citizens and foreign nationals.
The administration is also considering requiring travelers to take another drug test within three to five days of arriving in the United States, officials said. The new rules could be announced Thursday, but it was not specified when they could come into force.
With AFP
– .
