15 WVU students hail from African nations under omicron travel restrictions, WVU monitoring developments

Nov. 30—MORGANTOWN — WVU has 15 students hailing from four of the African nations that fall under President Biden's omicron-variant travel restrictions, the university told The Dominion Post Tuesday.

"For these students, we're messaging them directly to advise them how to proceed, encouraging them to not leave the country. From what we've heard back so far, none intended to return home during the holiday anyway, " WVU said.

Biden's Friday proclamation says of the omicron variant, "According to the WHO, preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other variants of concern. Further, the WHO reports that the number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in the Republic of South Africa."

The U.S. government imposed travel restrictions on people entering the country from South Africa and seven neighboring nations: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

WVU said it had three students from Malawi, two from Mozambique, four from South Africa, and six from Zimbabwe.

While none of them were planning holiday travel, WVU said, "Regardless, we are making sure they clearly understand the current U.S. travel restrictions and requirements, as the university continues to monitor the situation."

TWEET @dbeardtdp