The United States (US) is scheduled to lift its COVID-19 related travel ban with South Africa on Friday.
The Biden administration cut off travel from South Africa and seven other African nations after the discovery of the Omicron variant.
When scientists in South Africa first alerted the world to the existence of Omicron there was panic.
The US and several other countries imposed travel restrictions, preventing citizens of eight southern African nations from traveling to their countries.
The United kingdom has already lifted its restrictions and now the US is following suit.
With the Omicron variant now firmly in the US, being now the dominant strain for new infections, US health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised a travel ban was no longer warranted.
Added to that, research has shown that the most common US vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, are effective against Omicron, especially for people who have also received a booster dose.
The Biden administration initially announced the ban on November 26. It came into effect three days later, but it prompted anger from African leaders, including President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The restrictions were labelled unfair and discriminatory towards the African continent, as US citizens living in those eight African countries were still allowed to enter the US, whereas other nationalities were not.
The Biden administration has defended the ban, which was criticised by scientists and the World Health Organization.
US government officials have said the ban was only meant to be temporary and the White House said it imposed the restrictions to try and slow the spread of Omicron and give the country more time to look at how best to combat the new variant.
VIDEO: US imposition of travel restrictions on southern Africa due to Omicron: Sherwin Bryce-Pease
