U.S. CDC urges Americans to avoid travel to Niger, Poland over COVID-19 (updated)

XWELL

30/11/2021 22:11

(Adds more from press conference)
    By David Shepardson
    WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday advised Americans
against travel to Niger, Papua New Guinea, Poland, and Trinidad
and Tobago, citing COVID-19 concerns.
    The CDC now lists about 80 destinations at "Level 4: Very
High" classification after the White House announced new travel
restrictions in response to the new Omicron coronavirus variant.
    On Saturday, the CDC added South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia,
Mozambique, Malawi, Lesotho and Eswatini, while the State
Department issued parallel "Do Not Travel" advisories on
Saturday.
    The Biden administration is considering tightening vaccine
rules and a draft proposal is circulating among government
agencies, officials said.
    "CDC is evaluating how to make international travel as safe
as possible, including pre-departure testing closer to the time
of flight and considerations around additional post-arrival
testing and self-quarantines," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky
said Tuesday.
    On Nov. 23, the CDC had lowered its COVID-19 travel advisory
for South Africa to "Level 1: Low" from "Level 3: High"
    The new variant prompted the White House to announce
effective Monday it would bar nearly all foreign nationals who
have been in any of eight countries within the last 14 days from
flying to the United States.
    The United States only lifted travel restrictions on South
Africa and 32 other countries on Nov. 8.
    On Tuesday, health company XpresSpa Group announced a joint
effort with the CDC and Ginkgo Bioworks to expand its current
COVID-19 variant surveillance program to detect the Omicron
variant through its XpresCheck subsidiary.
    On Sunday, XpresCheck expanded its voluntary COVID-19 
program to test passengers entering the United States from
southern Africa, including passengers making connections.
    The program includes PCR tests done on a pooled sample
collected at the airport on arrival.

 (Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis and
Sandra Maler)
 ((David.Shepardson@thomsonreuters.com; 2028988324;))