Ómicron: Asia-Pacific reimposes travel restrictions due to the advance of the new variant of the coronavirus

The new one omicron variant of coronavirus It extends through Asia-Pacific with new cases this Friday in Malaysia, Sri Lanka or Australia, while the countries reimpose travel restrictions just as the reopening of the continent began after two years of pandemic.

Some countries in the region, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, prohibit the entry of passengers from South Africa, where the new variant was originally detected, as well as other African nations such as Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Eswatini ( former Swaziland).

After detecting nine cases of omicron come from abroad, Australian authorities confirmed today the first community contagion in Canberra and are investigating a local outbreak in Sydney of the new variant, which has been declared “of concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO).

In Sydney, at least 3 infections of omicron and another 10 cases are being analyzed, all related to a school in the west of the city.

“At the moment it is not clear if this particular variant is going to be as problematic as the previous ones”said the Minister of Health of the Australian state of New South Wales, Brad Hazzard, in statements to the media, calling for “caution.”

Last Monday, the Australian authorities delayed the partial opening of the borders to qualified workers and vaccinated foreign students until December 15 after detecting the first cases of the new variant.

It also delayed travel bubbles with Japan and South Korea until then.

Australia, which has been closed to non-resident foreigners for more than a year and a half, has managed to keep the total number of infections at 213,000, including just over 2,000 deaths.

This Friday, the authorities of Malaysia and Sri Lanka reported respectively the first contagion of omicron detected in these countries, while Singapore confirmed last night two infections of the variant, in all passenger cases arrived from South Africa.

The omicron variant It was first notified on November 26 by the WHO after being detected in South Africa from the analysis of specimens collected on November 9.

FIRST CONTAGES IN HONG KONG

On the same day 26, the Chinese autonomous city of Hong Kong reported a case of the omicron variant, but since then it has only detected three more infections, all of them from abroad, specifically from South Africa and Nigeria.

The cases were detected as Hong Kong prepares to reopen its border with mainland China which, so far, has not detected any cases of the variant.

China maintains a zero tolerance policy against coronavirus And it applies, since March 2020, strict border controls that include the veto of non-resident foreigners and a mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the country of at least 14 days in a hotel paid for by the traveler.

Japan, which has so far detected two contagions of omicron from passengers arriving from abroad, was one of the countries that took border measures more quickly and harshly after detecting the new variant.

Earlier this week, he banned 10 African countries from entering the country, tightened mandatory quarantines for travelers from other territories and suspended reservations for all international flights until the end of the month.

The Japanese government, however, reversed this last measure after the complaints received from Japanese citizens who could not return to their country, although it maintains its border shield that affects mainly foreign travelers.

The Indian authorities, who confirmed yesterday the detection of two infections with the new variant, increased security measures at airports, where all passengers from nations considered at risk must remain in the terminals until a PCR test is confirmed. At the arrived.

India, which paralyzed all international flights at the end of March 2020, maintains air connections with some twenty countries through bilateral agreements known as “air bubbles”, which allows a limited entry of travelers.

QUESTIONS ABOUT OMICRON

The number of cases and hospitalizations has increased in South Africa, although it is still being studied whether it is due to omicron, while the WHO is investigating whether it is a more contagious or serious variant than previous ones.

In any case, the UN agency insists that countries increase the vaccination campaign to protect their populations and strengthen their health systems.

The percentage of vaccinations with the full schedule ranges from 92% of the vaccinated population in Singapore, 75% in China, 80% in South Korea, 77% in Japan, 73% in Australia, 54% in Sri Lanka, 35% in Indonesia, 33% in India and 23% in Pakistan.

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