UK tightens social, travel rules as Omicron cases surface in UK, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Israel
THE UK confirmed the presence of the omicron Covid-19 variant in people with a connection to travel in southern Africa, prompting Prime Minister Boris Johnson to announce a series of measures to combat its spread as multiple cases surfaced across Europe.
The UK's announcement on Saturday (Nov 27) of two infections came as officials across Europe brace for new cases of the variant, days after it was first identified in southern Africa. Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic identified cases of the variant, various media reports showed, while Belgium also reported a new infection in someone who travelled from abroad.
Almost all the cases confirmed were reported in people who landed in Europe before travel bans kicked in late this week, while Israel's health ministry said it had three cases from individuals who stayed within the country.
The emergence of the omicron variant threatens to hammer Europe just as governments are trying to cope with a fourth wave of coronavirus cases - one that was driven by the infectious delta strain. Global markets were upended on Friday as the news of the latest mutation spurred investors to seek havens rather than bet on assets tied to economic growth.
On Saturday, Johnson announced measures to tackle the variant in the UK, including a tightening of face mask rules and a requirement for airline travellers to take a PCR test and isolate upon arrival.
"We need to take targeted and proportionate measures now as a precaution while we find out more," he said at a Downing Street briefing. "We need to buy time for our scientists to understand exactly what we're dealing with."
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
UK officials leaned on the country's strong vaccination programme as its main defence against the new variant, and said the booster programme would be accelerated.
"We are not going to stop people travelling, I want to stress that," Johnson said.
In Italy, the variant was confirmed by Sacco hospital in Milan, Associated Press reported. The country's Health Ministry earlier identified a possible case in a traveller returning from Mozambique. In Germany, the Max von Pettenkofer Institute in Munich said the variant was confirmed in two travellers who arrived from South Africa, DPA reported. Earlier, the Hessian Ministry for Social Affairs said a person who arrived in Frankfurt from South Africa was suspected of having the variant.
Germany is "developing a new, precise way of dealing with the current challenges" of coronavirus and the omicron strain, incoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted on Saturday, vowing to "do whatever it takes." The Czech Republic had its first case, according to a local TV report, a vaccinated individual who returned from Namibia via South Africa and Dubai. Earlier this week, the Czech government tightened social-distancing measures to stem a record spike in Covid-19 cases.
Denmark also has a "reasonable suspicion" it has two cases in passengers arriving from South Africa, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said in a tweet on Saturday. Further tests are being conducted.
Health officials in the Netherlands said on Saturday that 61 people - or about one in 10 - tested positive for Covid-19 after flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on Friday.
Europe's hospitals are already stretched to capacity in some areas, countries like Austria are back in lockdown or have imposed curfews, and vaccine campaigns have in many instances fallen short of levels thought to create herd immunity.
In the US, Biden administration health adviser Anthony Fauci said on Saturday he wouldn't be surprised if the variant is already in the country but is yet to be detected. "When you have a virus like this... it is going to go, essentially, all over," Fauci said on NBC.
The World Health Organization on Friday declared the omicron strain a "variant of concern." Scientists say the variant carries a high number of mutations in its spike protein, which plays a key role in the virus's entry into cells in the body. Labs in Europe, the US and Africa are preparing for tests to see how the new variant is likely to behave in people who've been vaccinated or previously infected. Many travellers rushed to catch remaining flights to Europe and beyond before travel bans on several southern African countries were imposed on Friday.
For airlines and travel companies, measures to try to contain the latest mutation could throttle the industry's nascent recovery after some 20 months of assorted restrictions across the globe. Addressing Johnson's plan to mandate expensive PCR tests on all arrivals into the UK from Monday, travel body ABTA called the move a "huge blow" for consumers and the industry. BLOOMBERG
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
