The administration of US President Joe Biden intends to tighten travel rules to combat the Omicron mutant, after the first confirmed infection with the new strain was recorded in California.

While several countries in the world began to take new measures, following fears of the expansion of the new mutated area of ​​the Corona virus, the President of Mexico announced his country's "control" of the epidemic.

And Bloomberg News Agency quoted - from an unnamed informed source - that the US administration intends to require air travelers to the United States to undergo a corona test within one day of their travel, regardless of their vaccination status.

The agency stated that President Biden intends to announce the new requirements in a speech in which he outlines in detail his plan to contain the epidemic during the winter season.

Currently, vaccinated passengers must undergo the test within 3 days of boarding their planes to the United States.


Last week, the United States imposed travel restrictions that prevented entry of foreign arrivals who had been in any of the eight countries in southern Africa during the previous 14 days, and the administration did not specify how long these measures would remain in place.

Yesterday, Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States announced the first confirmed infection with the Omicron strain of Corona virus in California, which is an indication of the extent to which the recently discovered strain has already spread around the world.

And the Bloomberg News Agency reported that the recent infection with “Covid-19” in California was an infection of the Omicron strain, and that the patient was a traveler returning from South Africa on November 22 last.

The patient had fully received the vaccination, and he showed minor symptoms and his condition is improving, and he has been subject to home quarantine since tests tested positive for his infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and all his contacts were traced, and the results of their tests were negative.

travel restrictions

For its part, Britain announced that the total number of infections with the new mutation reached 22, and that the number can definitely increase.

The World Health Organization said that about 56 countries imposed travel measures against Omicron as of November 28.

And Japan - which has already banned all foreign arrivals - announced the registration of the second case of the new mutant, and said that it would expand the imposition of travel restrictions.

Hong Kong added Japan, Portugal and Sweden to its list of countries banning travelers from entering, while Uzbekistan said it would suspend flights with Hong Kong and South Africa.

Malaysia temporarily banned travelers from eight African countries, and said the list could also include Britain and the Netherlands.


The United States has banned entry to nearly all foreign nationals who have visited one of the eight countries in southern Africa.

While the countries of the world continue to impose restrictions on their borders, Nigeria said that the new mutation had spread weeks earlier than was believed.

In turn, the World Health Organization said that "a comprehensive travel ban will not prevent the spread of the mutant at the global level, as it represents a heavy burden on life and livelihoods."

The organization advised those at risk or those who are 60 years of age or older and have not received the vaccination to postpone any decision related to travel.

epidemic control

In turn, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced - before a crowd gathered in the main square in Mexico City on Wednesday - "the control of the epidemic" in his country, while the mutant Omicron raises concern in the whole world.

"Today, 86% of Mexicans over the age of 18 are immunized, and almost all of them are immunized with both doses," Obrador said in a speech on the occasion of the third anniversary of the formation of his government.

The Mexican president added that "controlling the epidemic allows us to return to our initial plan (...) to improve health services", such as increasing the number of doctors, which currently stands at 1.2 per thousand people.

Next year, he added, "if all goes well, we will get the Patria (Mexican) vaccine."

The Mexican president also stressed that the economy is recovering from the crisis caused by the pandemic, which led to a GDP contraction of 8.5% in 2020.

South Africa

In the same context, the authorities in South Africa said yesterday, Wednesday, that Omicron has tightened his grip and has become the dominant version in the country, less than 4 weeks after his appearance.

Several countries in the world imposed a ban on travelers from 8 African countries after the discovery of the Omicron mutant (Getty Images)

The number of coronavirus infections in South Africa doubled within one day, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases confirmed yesterday.

"About 52,000 tests were conducted during the past 24 hours, which revealed 8,561 new infections, with a positive result of 16.5%," the institute said.

135 new cases were admitted to hospitals, and 28 deaths were recorded.

It was not immediately clear whether this jump in the number of infections was a result of the omicron mutant, which Dr. Richard Lessels described as "quickly turning into the most prevalent mutant" in the country.

easing restrictions

In turn, the Japanese government announced today, Thursday, a partial return to its request from airlines to suspend accepting new reservations for arrivals to Japan, noting that through this it wants to ensure that its nationals are able to return to the country.

Yesterday, Tokyo asked airlines to suspend all new reservations to enter its territory for a month in the face of fears of the spread of the mutated Omicron from the Corona virus, in a decision that affects Japanese citizens and foreign residents as well.

Japan has withdrawn some of the travel restrictions it had imposed to enable its nationals to return to the country (Getty Images)

However, this decision was amended to allow the Japanese to return to their country, as the Japanese government announced today.

"This request caused confusion among the people concerned, and therefore the prime minister asked the Ministry of Transport to reconsider the matter to take into account the demands of Japanese citizens" who wish to return to the country, government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said.

On the other hand, last Monday, Japan announced the closure of its borders to all foreign visitors, after only 3 weeks of easing some restrictions in order to allow entry to business travelers, students and foreign trainees.

It also decided, on Tuesday, to close its borders to all foreign arrivals from 10 southern African countries, including South Africa, where the mutant Omicron appeared for the first time.

Japan has been relatively immune to the epidemic, with more than 18,000 deaths recorded since the beginning of 2020, and has avoided imposing strict isolation measures, unlike many other countries.

After a slow start, the vaccination campaign accelerated, with 77% of the country's population being vaccinated with both doses.