President Biden told the press Friday that he decided to ban travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the region due to the emergence of the Omicron variant.
“We don’t know a lot about the variant except that it is a big concern and seems to spread rapidly," Biden said. “I’ve decided we’re going to be cautious."
When asked why the travel ban won’t go into effect until Monday, Biden said it was “because that was the recommendation coming from my medical team.”
“We don’t know a lot about the variant except that it is a big concern and seems to spread rapidly and I spent about a half-hour this morning with my Covid team led by Dr. Fauci so that was the decision we made,” Biden said.
On the stock market tumble Friday, Biden said he “expected it.”
Biden also used the opportunity to call on Americans to get their booster shots.
When asked if he was considering any new mandates, Biden said: “No. Not at the moment.”