In reaction to a Friday announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO) that there is a new coronavirus "variant of concern," known as "omicron," the Biden administration has made an announcement of its own. As Peter Aitken reported for Fox News, the U.S. will restrict travel from eight African countries starting on Monday.
The Dow Jones fell over 900 points just after opening bell on Nov. 26, with other major Wall Street stock indexes—and risk assets more generally—also seeing sell-offs as news of a new COVID-19 variant spreading in South Africa seems to have sparked a broader risk-off sentiment among investors.
Africa's less than 6% vaccination rate and lack of mask-wearing makes it "one of the least [Covid-19] affected regions in the world," according to the World Health Organization.