Biden’s travel curbs criticized as ineffective by ex-advisers

Former advisers to President Joe Biden said travel restrictions will do little to stop the spread of new Covid-19 variants, and the US and other nations would be better off increasing vaccine deliveries to Africa. Biden last week imposed a broad entry ban on people who have been in South Africa and seven nearby countries, seeking to halt the spread of the omicron variant. The EU, the UK, Canada and others have imposed similar measures. Biden’s ban kicks in Monday. While political leaders gravitate to border closures as a way to take immediate action, medical experts tend to say that partial closures are typically ineffective, in part because they affect only a sliver of travel volume. Andy Slavitt, who served as a Covid-19 adviser to Biden for several months this year, is among the critics and said energy should instead be focused on inoculations in Africa. “Banning travel hasn’t seemed to be anything close to Panacea,” Slavitt tweeted on Friday. “And it punishes countries and their economies who make and report discoveries.” He added Saturday: “A far better response would be the mass shipment of hundreds of millions of vaccines to the area.” South Africa’s discovery of the variant triggered a market sell-off on Friday. Airlines sank and the S&P 500 closed 2.3% lower, the biggest one-day drop since February. Middle East stocks tumbled on Sunday, even as South African health officials said initial omicron cases have been mild. <br/>