Senator Charles Grassley tells KCII he supports President Joe Biden’s travel ban to eight African countries in response to the new omicron COVID-19 variant.

The new variant has been discovered in more than a dozen countries, with the ban imposed Monday to travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi. All foreign visitors are already required to be vaccinated against COVID to enter the U.S.

President Biden stated Monday that a travel ban can slow the speed of omicron, but it cannot prevent it. Grassley anticipates this ban will be in effect for a couple weeks to allow top administration health officials to study the variant, “I think it’s odd though that he’s doing it for something he criticized President Trump for doing a couple years ago, 18 months ago when he did it with China he criticized him very much for being xenophobic.”

Biden is also using this time to encourage Americans to get vaccinated and boosted, as those 18 years and older are all eligible now to receive a booster of the Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson and Johnson vaccines. Those as young as five years old are also able to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine. You can hear more from Senator Grassley during Tuesday’s Halcyon House Washington Page at kciiradio.com.