Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Stricter International Covid Travel Rules Kick In Today
CNN: New US Travel Rules For Omicron: What You Need To Know
Just when we thought US travel rules were starting to stabilize, along comes Omicron. The dominoes fell quickly after South African health authorities informed the world of their discovery of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in late November. The Biden administration rolled out controversial travel bans on arrivals from eight nations in southern Africa. Travelers found themselves unexpectedly stranded. And now US officials are tightening travel regulations again. Things are changing by the day and even by the hour, but here are some of the questions people have about US travel rules -- and answers we have as of December 5. (Hunter and Brown, 12/5)
Politico: Fauci: U.S. Reviewing Its South African Travel Ban And Hopes To Lift It Soon
President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, said Sunday that the U.S. is reviewing its travel ban on South Africa and other African countries daily and hopes to lift it “within a reasonable amount of time” even as the Omicron variant spreads through the U.S. The White House announced the travel ban over a week ago as the new Covid-19 variant rattled South Africa. Days later, the U.S. first detected a case of the Omicron variant in California. (Sheehey, 12/5)
Axios: America And Europe Choose Divergent Pandemic Paths As Omicron Spreads
European countries are doubling down on pressure campaigns to get people vaccinated just as Republicans continue to wage war — often successfully — against vaccine mandates in the U.S. The starkly different approaches create a sharp contrast between the regions' approaches to vaccination, even as the Omicron variant rapidly spreads around the world. (Owens, 12/5)
And troubles grow for travelers on a Norwegian cruise ship —
CBS News: Cruise Ship Disembarks In New Orleans With At Least 17 COVID Cases, Including A "Probable" Omicron Infection
A Norwegian Cruise Line ship with at least 17 passengers and crew members infected with COVID-19 docked Sunday in New Orleans, where health officials said the ship was disembarked amid efforts to prevent any spread into the community. At least one of the infected crew members is suspected to have the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the Louisiana Department of Health said late Sunday. The Norwegian Breakaway arrived in the city on Sunday after departing from New Orleans on November 28 and making stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico over the past week. (12/6)
