President Joe Biden has unveiled stricter Covid-19 travel rules as the US confirmed a handful of cases of the Omicron variant from coast to coast.
According to reports, international travellers to the US, including Americans, must take a Covid test no more than one day before travel, regardless of vaccination status.
Mask requirements on planes, trains, and buses are to be extended until mid-March 2022.
Ten cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in the US: in California, Colorado, Minnesota, and New York, and in Hawaii, where authorities say that person had no recent travel history.
With the variant now present in 30 countries, it is still unclear whether the variant, which is a highly mutated variant, is associated with more transmission or more risk of avoiding vaccines.
However, the U.S. Government is encouraging all American adults to get booster vaccines, amid warnings Covid cases will rise this winter.
