Dr Fauci is optimistic about the severity of Omicron. Dr Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Sunday that the travel ban is being reevaluated every day, and the US government is aware of the hardship it has placed on those countries. Fauci, Biden's chief medical adviser, said the ban was put in place when the US was "in the dark" and just learning about a surge in cases in South Africa because of the Omicron variant; the ban was meant to provide time to assess the situation.