it is how we protect americans as we are seeing with this new variance. america is doing its part and we will do more. this is a global pandemic and everybody needs to fight it together. that includes countries that are not particularly friendly toward us. theiropulations are in tr trouble. to their credit, the scientific community, particularly in south africa, quickly notify the world of the emergence of this new variant. this transparency is encouraged and applauded because it it increases our ability to respon. on the day that it was identified, i took an immediate step to restrict travel from countries in southern africa. while the travel restrictions can slow the spread of omicron, it cannot prevent it. it gives us a little more time to take more precautions at home