Sydney braces for more Omicron cases but no lockdowns for now
Sydney braces for more Omicron cases but no lockdowns for now
Sydney braces for more Omicron cases but no lockdowns for now
December 1, 2021 12:50 pm
SYDNEY
– Australian authorities on Wednesday flagged another probable case of the
Omicron
variant in
Sydney
as they braced for
more
infections after at least two international travellers visited several locations in the city while likely infectious.
Officials in New South Wales (NSW), home to
Sydney
, said initial testing “strongly indicates” a man in his 40s, who arrived from southern Africa on Nov. 25, had been infected with the
Omicron
variant and had spent time in the community.
“We believe it is likely it will be confirmed later this afternoon as a definite
Omicron
case,” NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told reporters, but he ruled out
lockdowns
to contain the newly identified variant.
“I feel like it’s time for a change in approach. We don’t k
now
how many
more
variants of this virus are going to come,” Hazzard said.
Sydney
, Australia’s largest city, came out of nearly four months of lockdown in early October to contain a Delta outbreak and has been gradually easing curbs after higher vaccinations.
Omicron
has prompted Australia to delay by two weeks its plans to reopen its borders
from Wednesday to skilled migrants and foreign students. Mandatory two-week quarantine has been enforced for citizens returning from southern African countries.
Vaccinated Australians reaching
Sydney
and Melbourne from all other countries must
now
quarantine for 72 hours. Other states have not opened their international borders yet.
“It’s very confusing, it was very emotional … I did lots of praying. I just thought I’m going to land here and see what happens,” Lorelle Molde, who returned to Australia from the United States, told Reuters at the
Sydney
airport.
When confirmed, the latest probable case would bring the total number of confirmed infections in Australia to seven, with six detected in NSW.
The other person who contracted the
Omicron
variant is in isolation in the quarantine facility in the remote Northern Territory. Police said three people were taken into custody after escaping from the facility early Wednesday morning.
Authorities on Tuesday confirmed the country’s first community case of the new variant but the national cabinet decided against
more
restrictions and to wait for
more
data on its severity and transmissibility.
Australia has recorded around 212,000
cases
and 2,012 deaths from COVID-19. –
Reuters