US WILL ban travel from EIGHT African countries in bid to stop spread of new COVID variant Omicron: Fauci overruled within hours over ‘most infectious, vaccine resistant’ mutant

 President Joe Biden has announced travel will be banned from eight African countries including South Africa starting from Monday in an effort to stop a highly transmissible new variant of COVID that has been given the name Omicron from entering the US. 

The countries travel will be banned from are South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi. 

US citizens and green card holders will still be able to travel into the US from the banned countries, but no one else will be allowed. 

Biden announced the ban on Friday hours after his top COVID expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said in an interview that it was too soon to enact such measures. 

The World Health Organization named the new variant on Friday and also officially categorized it as a strain of concern. 

Speaking outside the Nantucket Tap Room where he had lunch on Friday afternoon, he told reporters that he'd spoken with his team for half an hour on Friday, and that the ban was the result of that meeting.

'We don't know a lot about the variant except that it is a great concern and seems to spread rapidly. I spent about a half hour this morning with my covert team led by Dr. Fauci and so that was the decision we made,' he said.

The UK had already halted flights as had some European countries but Biden said he waited until the medical experts told him he should impose restrictions. 

He also reiterated the need for everyone to get vaccinated and then get booster shots as soon as they can. 

'Every American that has not been vaccinated, should be responsible and be vaccinated from age five years and up, number one. Number two, everyone eligible for the booster shot, should get the booster shot immediately upon being eligible. That is a minimum that everyone should be doing. And you know, we always talk about whether this is about freedom and I think it's a patriotic responsibility,' he said.  

Forty percent of the US population remains unvaccinated. 

Both Pfizer and Moderna have already assured that they will be able to update their vaccine technology to tackle Omicron, should it be necessary. 

The panic surrounding the new variant has been sudden and has sent shivers through the stock market; the Dow plummeted by 1,000 points on Friday. 

President Biden said the drop was 'expected' but that he is not worried about the markets.  

Further details on what new restrictions will be imposed on non-US citizens and green card holders are expected to be announced imminently.   

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President Biden spoke with reporters today outside The Nantucket Tap Room where he said he decided on the ban out of an abundance of caution. He is Nantucket celebrating Thanksgiving with his family