New COVID variant shuts borders across the globe

New COVID variant shuts borders across the globe

THE HAGUE: A new, heavily mutated COVID-19 variant spread across the globe yesterday, shutting borders, renewing curbs, and sparking fears for the fight against the nearly two-year-old coronavirus pandemic. Dubbed Omicron, the strain has cast doubt on global efforts to battle the pandemic because of fears that it is highly infectious, forcing countries to reimpose measures many had hoped were a thing of the past.

Dutch health authorities said they had identified at least 13 cases of Omicron among 61 quarantined passengers who tested positive for coronavirus after arriving from South Africa. “The investigation has not yet been completed. The new variant may be found in more test samples,” the National Institute for Public Health warned.

Britain’s government yesterday defended the pace and scale of its response to the new Omicron strain of COVID-19 as officials reported a third case of the emerging variant, and warned of more to come. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said mandatory mask-wearing would return to shops and public transport in England tomorrow, but told families to plan for Christmas “as normal”, despite new rules to combat Omicron.

Also effective tomorrow, the government’s website is instructing all passengers entering the UK to take a PCR test for COVID-19 two