Five Cases Reported in New York City, USA... Concerns Over Spread from Large-Scale Events

Second Infected Patient Visited Exhibition Hall That Attracted 50,000 Visitors Last Month
Confirmed Cases in 14 European Countries... Germany Imposes Movement Restrictions on Unvaccinated

Casey Hochul New York Governor
Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min, Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] New York City has become a 'breeding ground' for the Omicron COVID-19 variant in the United States. On this day, five infections were confirmed in New York alone, and a resident from Minnesota who visited New York was also infected. Given that local transmission occurred through a large-scale event attended by more than 50,000 people, a significant scale of infection is feared.

On the 2nd (local time), New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated, "Five New York residents have been infected," adding, "One of them was fully vaccinated and was infected after visiting South Africa." This announcement came just hours after Omicron cases were confirmed in Minnesota and Colorado.

In particular, the second confirmed case in the U.S., a Minnesota resident, was reported to have visited 'Anime NYC 2021' held at the Javits Center, a large exhibition hall in Manhattan, New York, at the end of last month, raising alarms among New York authorities. Approximately 53,000 people attended the Anime NYC 2021 event. Until the 1st of this month, the '2021 Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM 2021)' was also held there. The Korean Pavilion, led by KOTRA, was operated with participation from Korean companies at this event.

Despite the spread of Omicron, the U.S. has not announced additional measures such as mandatory testing or quarantine after entry. President Joe Biden urged booster shots, stating, "We will respond to Omicron with science and speed, not chaos."

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
Photo by AP Yonhap News

Meanwhile, Europe is rolling out high-intensity quarantine measures one after another. Omicron was confirmed in 14 out of the 27 European Union (EU) member countries on this day.

Germany announced measures focusing on restricting movement for unvaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated people are prohibited from entering stores and cultural or leisure facilities. Private gatherings including unvaccinated persons are limited to two people from one other household outside their own. Furthermore, a law mandating vaccination will be pursued within the year.

Following Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, raising the necessity of mandatory vaccination for all member states the day before, countries have been accelerating vaccination mandates. Last month, Austria mandated vaccination for all citizens aged 12 and over starting February next year, and recently Greece decided to impose a monthly fine of 100 euros on those over 60 who refuse vaccination starting next year.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) predicts that Omicron could account for more than half of infections within the region in a few months. According to The New York Times (NYT), Omicron has been confirmed in at least 37 countries as of this date. Among them, eight countries including the UK, Canada, Germany, Israel, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Iceland have reported cases with no history of overseas travel.