Plans to reopen Australia are in doubt after the Omicron cases by Reuters

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will review plans to reopen borders for migrants and skilled students from December 1, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday after the country reported the first cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant over the weekend.

Two people who arrived in Australia from South Africa tested positive for the newly identified Omicron variant on Sunday, as officials ordered a forty-day quarantine for citizens returning from nine African countries and banning non-citizens from entering those nations.

Morrison asked people to stay calm, saying the data has not yet fully proven the severity, transmission, and resistance of the Omicron strain.

“So we take this step individually, get the best information, make calm and sensible decisions,” Morrison told Nine News on Monday, adding that “it’s too early” to reinstate the forty-week mandatory hotel rule. for foreign travelers.

Omicron, designated a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization, is more contagious than previous variants. Experts do not yet know if COVID-19 will be more severe or more severe compared to other strains.

Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s largest cities, began allowing fully-integrated citizens to enter without quarantine after 1 November after closing the borders for more than 18 months.

Both cities have tightened border rules by ordering all international passengers to be quarantined for 72 hours. Other states have not yet opened their borders to foreign travelers due to different vaccination rates.

Morrison said the National Security Commission will meet later Monday to assess the relaxation of reopening government boundaries from Wednesday. A meeting of leaders from all states and territories will be held on Tuesday, he said.

Strict border controls and closed blockades have helped Australia keep the number of coronaviruses much lower than many comparable countries. It has so far recorded 208,000 cases and about 1,994 deaths since the pandemic began.