Concerns Over Omicron Spread Delay Australia's Border Reopening Schedule Next Month

On the 28th (local time), flight attendants are moving through Sydney Airport terminal in Australia, where a "Mask Wearing Mandatory" sign is installed. As countries around the world are on alert due to the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, Australia announced on the same day that two asymptomatic COVID-19 cases returning from travel to South Africa were confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Australia has postponed its planned border reopening scheduled for the 1st of next month due to concerns over the spread of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.

According to major media outlets on the 29th, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison chaired an emergency security meeting and made this decision.

Prime Minister Morrison said, "This is a temporary decision made as necessary," adding, "This measure will buy time to gather information to better understand the Omicron variant in Australia."

He added that there are concerns regarding the Omicron variant, including "the effectiveness of vaccines, whether it causes milder symptoms compared to previous variants, the range of illness, and the level of transmissibility."

Australia had controlled its borders for over 20 months to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among foreigners, but due to worsening side effects such as labor shortages and the collapse of the education and tourism industries, some restrictions were eased earlier this month. The plan was to reopen the borders to technicians and students starting from the 1st of next month.

Recently, in Australia, cases of COVID-19 infections confirmed as Omicron variant have been reported among travelers arriving from South Africa.