ASIAN equity markets remained bearish on Monday (Nov 29) as the spectre of new Covid-19 variant Omicron continued to weigh on sentiment.

Singapore's key index closed down 1.4 per cent, while Malaysia slipped 0.1 per cent. In East Asia, Japan declined 1.6 per cent, South Korea fell 0.9 per cent, and Hong Kong lost 1 per cent.

Omicron, first detected in South Africa, was declared a variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday (Nov 26).