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HONG KONG: Australian officers have been racing Sunday to conduct additional assessments on passengers arriving from southern Africa who examined optimistic for COVID-19 to find out in the event that they have been carrying the omicron variant as nations around the globe tightened controls towards the worrying new pressure.
Neighboring New Zealand introduced it was limiting journey from 9 southern African nations due to the risk posed by the variant, and Japan widened its border controls to incorporate extra nations from the area. Vacationer-dependent Thailand, which solely just lately started loosening its tight border restrictions to leisure vacationers from sure nations, introduced a ban of its personal on guests from eight African counties. Comparable restrictions took impact within the enterprise hub of Singapore, which is barring entry and transit to anybody with a latest historical past of journey to seven southern African nations.
The tighter restrictions within the Asia-Pacific area echoed steps quickly taken by nations around the globe to restrict the unfold of the omicron variant simply days after it was recognized by researchers in South Africa. The act first, ask questions later strategy mirrored rising alarm concerning the emergence of a probably extra contagious variant almost two years right into a pandemic that has killed greater than 5 million individuals, upended lives and disrupted economies throughout the globe.
Whereas a lot stays to be realized concerning the new variant, researchers are involved that it might be extra immune to the safety supplied by vaccines and will imply that the pandemic lasts for longer than anticipated.
Circumstances involving the omicron variant have already been confirmed on a number of continents, with Germany, Italy, Belgium, Israel and Hong Kong all reporting instances in latest days.
The US’ high infectious ailments professional, Dr. Anthony Fauci, stated he wouldn’t be shocked if the omicron variant was already within the US, too.
“Now we have not detected it but, however when you will have a virus that’s exhibiting this diploma of transmissibility … it nearly invariably is finally going to go primarily throughout,” Fauci stated on NBC tv.
In Australia, the New South Wales well being division stated Sunday that pressing genomic testing was being performed on samples taken from two passengers who arrived in Sydney from southern Africa the day earlier than and examined optimistic on arrival.
The division stated the vacationers have been from one in every of 9 African nations that at the moment are required to quarantine in a lodge upon arrival in Sydney. The nations are South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Malawi and the Seychelles.
New Zealand’s COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins stated the island nation was taking a precautionary strategy. From late Sunday, solely New Zealand residents from 9 African nations will likely be allowed entry to New Zealand, and they are going to be required to spend two weeks in a quarantine lodge run by the navy.
Hipkins stated officers have been assured the variant hadn’t entered New Zealand and so they have been nicely positioned to maintain it out.
Many nations have slapped restrictions on numerous southern African nations over the previous couple of days, together with the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Iran and the US, in response to warnings over the transmissibility of the brand new variant. This goes towards the recommendation of the World Well being Group, which has warned towards any overreaction earlier than the variant was totally studied.
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