Omicron against the world
Variant forces new restrictions, global call for booster shot
SYDNEY: Australia renewed its vaccination push as surging cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant just days before Christmas forced authorities to impose new curbs and expedite booster shots.
Governments globally have tightened social mobility restrictions and made urgent pleas for citizens to vaccinate as Omicron emerges as the dominant strain of the virus, upending reopening plans that many hoped would herald the start of a post-pandemic era in 2022.
In Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said it would cancel some passenger flights in January after the Asian financial centre tightened quarantine rules due to the Omicron variant.
Elsewhere in Asia, India has urged its states to prepare for surges and allowed them to impose restrictions on crowds and large gatherings. India’s Omicron cases have nearly doubled over the past week.
In Japan, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura flagged that the prefecture had confirmed the community spread of the omicron variant in western Japan after finding three cases it couldn’t trace.
In Romania, up to 2,000 Romanians protested in front of the parliament on Tuesday against a proposed workplace Covid-19 green pass, chanting “Freedom” and waving Romanian flags and placards with messages such as “Stop mandatory vaccination”.
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday promised half a billion free rapid Covid-19 tests and warned the quarter of American adults who are unvaccinated that their choices could spell the “difference between life and death”.
In response to the surge, countries are also looking to shorten the time between second vaccination shots and boosters. However, wary of public lockdown fatigue, there is reluctance to return to the strict curbs imposed during the spread of the Delta variant earlier this year.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday announced new vaccination funding for clinics and pharmacies.
He also urged the country’s states to reopen hundreds of vaccination hubs to accelerate a booster rollout, which were shut down when double-dose rates in adults topped 80%.
Australia yesterday reported more than 5,000 daily infections for the first time during the pandemic, with the bulk of cases in its most populous states of New South Wales and Victoria.
Despite the Omicron surge, Morrison repeated that strict lockdowns would not be brought back.
There was also resistance to new lockdowns in South Korea, where authorities announced restrictions on gatherings and operating times for restaurants, cafes and bars.
While polls show wide support for South Korea’s fresh curbs, some of its strictest yet, many small businesses have complained that restrictions leave them overstaffed and overstocked, having prepared for a holiday season under looser rules.
Hans Kluge, the World Health Organisation’s European head, on Tuesday warned of a “storm” that Omicron would bring, “pushing already stretched health systems further to the brink.”
Germany, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and South Korea are among countries that have reimposed partial or full lockdowns or other social distancing measures in recent days.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would not introduce new Covid-19 curbs in England before Christmas, but warned that the government might need to act afterwards.