A White House official said the ban on entry of most non-US citizens familiar with the scheme would be imposed in South Africa in response to the recent COVID-19 strain in South Africa.
It is unclear how long the ban will continue.
The Biden administration will continue to ban travel from the US, Brazil, the UK, Ireland, and 26 countries in Europe, which the Trump administration plans to relax as of Monday, said the official, who requested anonymity because plans were not made public.
This is in line with comments by White House press secretary Jane Saki, who tweeted on January 18 that “this is not the time to ban international travel.”
The US is looking at new coronavirus strains originating in South Africa and Brazil, as well as recently identified in the UK
Reuters first reported the US plan to ban travel from South Africa to most non-US citizens, citing officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
