US border closures may loom amid spread of Omicron variant

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Covid-19's Omicron variant could jeopardize international travel from Canada, weeks after the U.S. reopened its borders and ports to nonessential travelers.

On Friday, the U.S. announced it was restricting travel to and from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi, effective Monday, as those southern African countries deal with outbreaks of the new variant.

With two cases of Omicron popping up in Canada, more restrictions could be coming, though other methods of blunting the spread may be more effective, Washington state health officials said.

"It's always a good question of, 'How well does border closing really interrupt transmission?'" state epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist said to reporters Monday. "I think we're going to end up focusing more on what it's going to take to slow down the transmission in a country like the United States than trying to think we're going to be able to stop it from coming across borders."

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2021/11/29/omicron-border-restriction.html

[Wingus Dingus]

1. Close travel temporarily from countries that clearly have a big problem with the variant.

At lease until we know more about its characteristics. There's NO point in closing the US/Canadian or US/Mexican border unless those countries somehow become a primary source of the disease. I'm sure the US has more than four omicron-infected people, we're just sucky at testing.

[DFW]

2. I'm going to be one unhappy camper if they close off the border to Europeans

My wife and I are planning to spend four weeks in the USA starting in late December. I just hope the old "spouses of US citizens excepted from any travel ban" stays in effect.

[Celerity]

3. take a few of these

I'm going to be one unhappy camper

[DFW]

4. Hey, if that's what it takes to keep the borders open.........

I'll take two and call you in the morning.