Omicron spreads around the world, Europe considers reimposing travel restrictions

Not only in America,OmicronThe virus is spreading at lightning speed across Europe and Asia, including in Japan, which has just reported a single cluster of at least 180 cases at a military base.

Reuters news agency quoted New Zealand's Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins as saying that the country will delay the reopening of its borders until the end of February.

On December 20, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that Omicron is now the most common variant in the country, accounting for more than 73% of new infections just less than 3 weeks after the first case was recorded. According to CNN, Omicron has appeared in 48 US states and the first death from this variant was recorded in Texas.

South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland are among those reintroducing partial or full lockdowns or other social distancing measures. Thailand will reinstate mandatory quarantine for foreign visitors from December 21.

Britain and Portugal are also considering further restrictions. According to Reuters, British finance minister Rishi Sunak will soon announce his discussions with representatives of the hotel industry, which has been hit hard and is asking the government for help.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on December 20 that he was considering various measures to control the Omicron variant.

Omicron has sent financial markets reeling in recent days, raising concerns among investors about the economic recovery as the pandemic continues to disrupt travel and disrupt supply chains.

In Australia, Omicron cases are rising but hospitalisation rates remain relatively low. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged state leaders to avoid further lockdowns. "We will not go back to lockdowns. We will move forward with this virus with common sense and responsibility," he said.

In the US, President Joe Biden's administration announced it would open Covid-19 testing sites in New York this week and purchase 500 million rapid home testing kits that Americans can order for free online.

“We are aware that if you have not been vaccinated, you are at increased risk of getting sick,” a senior US official said. “This variant is highly transmissible and people who have not been vaccinated are eight times more likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19 and 14 times more likely to die.”

Since it was first reported in southern Africa in November, the Omicron variant has appeared in at least 89 countries. It is not yet clear how severe Omicron is, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that it spreads more quickly than the Delta variant and infects people who have been vaccinated or have recovered from the disease.

According to Reuters, more than 274 million people are recorded to have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide.worldSince the pandemic began nearly two years ago, more than 5.65 million Covid-19 patients have died.