![]() And if someone tests positive for the omicron variant, then he said their close contacts will have to self-isolate for 10 days regardless of their vaccination status – currently close contacts are exempt from quarantine rules if they are fully-vaccinated. “Right now this is the responsible course of action to slow down the seeding and the spread of this new variant and to maximize our defenses,” he told a news conference.Īmong the measures announced, Johnson said anyone arriving in England will be asked to take a a mandatory PCR test for COVID-19 on the second day after their arrival and must self isolate until they provide a negative test. ![]() In an attempt to slow the spread, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was necessary to take “targeted and precautionary measures” after two people tested positive for the new variant in England. Many countries have already imposed travel restrictions on flights from southern Africa in the four days since the omicron variant was first identified in South Africa. tightened up rules Saturday on mask-wearing and on testing of international arrivals after finding two cases of the new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus.Īmid fears that the recently identified new variant has the potential to be more resistant to the protection offered by vaccines, there are growing concerns around the world that the pandemic and associated lockdown restrictions will persist for far longer than hoped. Hollie Adams/Pool via APīritain tightens COVID rules as world on alert over omicron They also fear a surge in coronavirus cases during the holiday season as more people travel.īritain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a press conference in London on Saturday after cases of the new COVID-19 variant were confirmed in the UK. health officials have already been on alert due to the rising number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths sweeping through the country in recent weeks, triggered by the arrival of winter – a time when more people gather indoors. “It’s going to take a really high bar for something to take over for delta, and we don’t know whether this is going to do it.” Eric Topol, the director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, told The Washington Post that omicron was the most concerning variant scientists had seen since delta. Omicron has already been detected in Hong Kong, Belgium, and Israel. ![]() “Of course, anything is possible,” he said. “We want to find out scientist to scientist what exactly is going on,” Fauci said in an appearance on CNN’s “New Day.” “You want to find out if in fact it does evade the vaccines that we’re doing.”ĭespite the CDC’s announcement that omicron had not been detected in the United States, Fauci didn’t rule out the possibility that the variant had already arrived in the nation. health officials are in touch with their South African counterparts to learn more about the emerging variant, Fauci said. The nation’s top infectious-disease experts, including Anthony Fauci, urged caution even as they acknowledged that there were many unknowns about omicron, which the World Health Organization designated a variant of concern on Friday. ![]() Hochul’s order came on the same day that the Biden administration said it would restrict flights from southern Africa. “Our health officials must … have response options available should it prove to be significantly more virulent.” “This is a concerning development that we must watch extremely closely, and be prepared to address as a city, state and country,” said New York City mayor-elect Eric Adams of omicron in a statement. But Hochul noted in her executive order that the virus is transmitting at rates not seen since April 2020, when New York was at the center of the global pandemic. Close to 80% of the state’s 20 million residents have received at least one dose, according to the governor’s office. New York has fully vaccinated slightly over two thirds of its residents, Washington Post figures show. She also reminded residents to get vaccinated or boosted against the coronavirus. She also urged New Yorkers to mask up in indoor public venues, get tested when appropriate and to stay home when ill. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that omicron had not yet been detected in the United States, though Hochul said of the variant: “it’s coming.” restricts travel from southern Africa as world races to contain new ‘omicron’ COVID variant Subscribe - Holiday Gift Subscriptions Sign In My Account Logout Primary Menu ☰ X
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