Shawdesh desk:

New York governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Friday due to a rise in Covid-19 cases in the state and the threat of the omicron variant.

She said the variant hasn’t yet been detected in the state but that she decided to sign an executive order to allow the health department to limit non-essential, non-urgent procedures at hospitals and acquire critical supplies more quickly, Bloomberg reported.

The order takes effect on December 3 and will be re-assessed based on the latest data on January 15.

She also discouraged large indoor gatherings for Thanksgiving.

US President Joe Biden on Friday imposed fresh travel restrictions on nations in southern Africa, where the omicron variant was first detected.