The new travel bans

The World Health Organization yesterday advised people 60 or older to postpone any travel because of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron. The new strain was first identified in South Africa and may have originated there or Botswana, which has led to many countries—including the US—banning travelers from that part of the world. Plus, what Congress has to do this month. And, ER doctors’ role in prescribing drugs to prevent opioid overdoses. Guests: Axios' Bryan Walsh and Alayna Treene; Dr. Keith Kocher, emergency physician at University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor. Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, Sabeena Singhani, Lydia McMullen-Laird, Michael Hanf, and David Toledo. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.