Entertainment Dominic Perrottet vows NSW will stay open despite Omicron variant

South Africa tries to calm fears over new Covid variant 'Omicron'

Belgium revealed a case of the variant - named 'Omicron' by the WHO overnight - prompting EU chiefs to call for an 'emergency brake' on all travel from southern Africa after it was found in Israel.South African medics moved to calm a wave of panic over a new ultra-infectious and vaccine resistant Covid strain today as its arrival in Europe sparked fears of a new Christmas shutdown.

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Premier Dominic Perrottet has vowed NSW will stay open and forge ahead with its Covid roadmap despite fears about the Omicron variant.

NSW Health confirmed on Sunday urgent genomic testing found two travellers who touched down in Sydney from southern Africa on Saturday night have the new strain.

The latest virus mutation, first detected in South Africa, sparked concerns around the globe amid fears it is more transmissible than world's most contagious and dominant strain, Delta.

But Mr Perrotet said Omicron could be contained and the state's timeline of lifting restrictions at 95 per cent vaccination or on December 15 was on track.

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© Provided by Daily Mail Two cases of the super-mutant Covid Omicron strain have been confirmed in NSW, sparking fears tough restrictions could again be cast over the state. Pictured: A group of woman drink in a Sydney bar

He said 'for the moment' he intended to stick with the state's plan as NSW could not be a 'hermit kingdom on the other side of the world'.

'Ultimately, we not only need to learn to live alongside the virus, but live alongside the variants as well,' he said.

'This pandemic is not over. These variants will continue, cases will continue to rise and the best thing we can do to keep the community safe, keep your family safe is to go out and get vaccinated and get that booster shot when you can.'

The NSW Government confirmed 29 people, including the two confirmed Omicron cases, arrived on Saturday aboard two flights from the nine African nations feared to be infested with the variant.

Mr Perrottet, his Victorian counterpart Daniel Andrews, and ACT Premier Andrew Barr temporarily re-imposed a 72-hour self-isolation requirement for all international arrivals.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also banned all flights from the nine nations of concern - which include South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Seychelles and Malawi.

Under the federal rules, passengers already on flights to Australia who have been in those countries over the past 14 days will be forced into two-week hotel quarantine.

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Global concern about the coronavirus pandemic is growing, with a number of countries detecting confirmed cases of the Omicron variant for the first time. © Associated Press Travel restrictions are being imposed once again as governments suspend flights from southern Africa Travel restrictions are also being imposed once again as governments suspend flights from southern Africa, the region where this strain was first detected. Here is a look at the latest COVID-19 developments around the world.On Saturday, Israel unveiled plans to ban all foreigners from entering the country.

Mr Perrotet said it was inevitable that Omicron would seep onto our shores.

'If you look at Delta… how quickly that come into countries around the world, the prime minister cancelled flights into here,' he said.

'The reality is these variants are highly transmissible and that means it is almost certain it will get into countries around the world. That is the reality of the situation.

'We can’t look at the world as we want it to be, we need to look at the situation as it is.'

© Provided by Daily Mail But despite concerns about the new South African variant, Premier Dominic Perrotet has vowed to forge ahead with a plan to reopen NSW next month © Provided by Daily Mail Two overseas travellers who arrived in Sydney on Saturday night have been confirmed to have the new super-mutant Covid strain, Omicron

From December 15, restrictions will ease across NSW for the unvaccinated, mask and QR codes will be scrapped for most venues, and proof of vaccination certificates will only be needed for indoor music festivals with more than 1,000 people.

Masks will only be required on public transport and planes, at airports and for indoor hospitality staff who aren't fully vaccinated.

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Sajid Javid said the government was taking 'proportionate and balanced' precautions to 'buy time', but stressed there is no certainty that the 'super-mutant' strain will be able to dodge jabs.The Health Secretary said the government was taking 'proportionate and balanced' precautions to 'buy time', confirming that masks will be compulsory again in shops and on public transport from Tuesday.

QR code check-ins will only be required for 'high risk venues' such as hospitals, gyms, airports, aged care facilities and limited hospitality venues.

Mr Perrottet cautioned restrictions may be re-imposed if the Omicron fuelled another major outbreak, but assured NSW his intention was to stick to his plan.

'We have a road map and that’s clearly set out,' he said.

'There will be variants from time to time. We have said that from the outset. This pandemic is not over, challenges will continue to come our way.

'We have said if there are instances along the way where we need to put in certain restrictions at certain points in time in a targeted way we will, but we are not there.'

NSW recorded 185 new Covid-19 on Sunday morning, while Victoria recorded 1,061 new cases and four deaths.

So far, 92.4 per cent of NSW residents over 16 are vaccinated and  94.5 per cent have received a first dose.

Of those aged 12 to 15, 81.3 per cent have received one jab and 76.5 per cent have had both.

The premier said the focus of his government would be to ensure vaccination continued, as that would combat the new variant.

'That has been the key success here in NSW, key to ensuring that as we open up, we continue to open up safely and that is the focus of the government,' he said.

'We need everybody in NSW to roll up their sleeves, get the booster shots and ensure people in NSW are going to stay safe.'

However, in light of the new cases, NSW Jobs Minister Stuart Ayres announced on Sunday the state government was prepared to clamp down on travellers arriving from overseas.

'We will take the necessary measures, including restarting quarantine if required, to protect our community and our economy,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

© Provided by Daily Mail Passengers disembark off a Qantas flight after landing at Sydney Airport. Two other arrivals to Australia on flights from Africa have tested positive for Covid in the Northern Territory and Victoria, with genomic testing underway to identify the strains © Provided by Daily Mail Mr Perrotet did not rule out restrictions in the event of a major outbreak, but said he intends to stick to NSW's Covid roadmap

A NSW government source said work was underway to restore hotel quarantine if required, but the preferred option will be home isolation unless the strain was deemed extremely severe.

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Despite the premier's assurances, some experts urged state leaders to crack down early while scientists work to determine the severity of the new strain.

Two other passengers who tested positive to Covid after arriving from southern Africa, one in Sydney and another at the Howard Springs facility near Darwin, are being screened to see if they also have the Omicron variant.

Victorian health authorities are also investigating whether the potential third NSW Omicron case could have infected anyone there while on a trip to Victoria.

University of NSW epidemiology professor Mary-Louise McLaws said all international arrivals should be subjected to mandatory quarantine.

'Omicron still not fully understood. Is transmission faster, does it reduce vaccine efficacy, is it as hard to mitigate outbreaks [like] Delta?' she tweeted on Sunday.

'Until +90% vaccination coverage of total pop (not just +12yr) quarantine must be supervised for every traveller from every country. [With] testing on day-1, 4, 5.'

© Provided by Daily Mail US and Europe earlier placed six countries on the red list before Australia added another three - Malawi, Mozambique and Seychelles

Dr Paul Griffin, Director of Infectious Diseases at Mater Health in Brisbane, was far less concerned and said it was still too early to judge the risks of Omicron.

'I don't think we're back to square one. A lot of us thought this is what this virus is going to keep doing, going to keep evolving and we are going to keep finding new variants,' he told ABC.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton, who conceded that it was 'impossible' to keep the strain off Australian shores but measures were already in place to reduce its spread.

Professor Sutton said he was 'very confident' vaccines would provide some level of 'cross protection' for the new variant, even if Omicron differs significantly in terms of 'how our immune system recognises it'.

Australians forced to quarantine after SIXTH case Omicron confirmed

NSW has extended quarantine requirements for travellers and ramped up fines for anyone in breach of coronavirus rules as the new variant Omicron continues to spread in Australia. There are now five cases in NSW after a woman on the Central Coast was confirmed to be infected by the super-mutant strain Tuesday - a sixth case is also in isolation in the Northern Territory.Current measures which require Australian citizens arriving from nine African nations to undergo hotel quarantine for 14 days were extended by Dominic Perrottet.

'This is not back to the beginning,' he said.

'We are not back at square one by any means. The vaccination coverage that we’ve got - over 90 per cent of eligible Victorians being fully vaccinated already - is absolutely more than useful.

'It is absolutely critical in protecting them and will, I’m sure, provide protection against these variants as well. We just need to understand how much.'

Government sources told The Age the Victorian Government was considering extending quarantine and reintroducing mask mandates in some settings.

New health orders could be announced as early as Monday, the sources said, and were likely to be also rolled out by state and territory leaders across the country.

The two infected passengers were on Qatar Airways QR908, via Doha, which touched down in Sydney around 7pm. Twelve other passengers on the same flight who travelled from southern Africa are undertaking 14 days of hotel quarantine.

As well as the two arrivals in Sydney, another two African arrivals have also tested positive for Covid in different states and the same testing will be done on their samples to identify the strains.

© Provided by Daily Mail Passengers undergo COVID-19 tests at the Histopath Diagnostic Specialists pre-departure area at Sydney International Airport on November 28, 2021

The first arrived in NSW on November 23 before travelling to Victoria two days later, sparking fears Omicron is already in the southern state.

Victorian health officials will complete a full interview with this case tonight to track down any close contacts in the event the passenger does have the Omicron variant.

The second, a man, arrived on a repatriation flight from South Africa to the Northern Territory on Thursday and was in isolation at the Howard Springs quarantine facility.

Meanwhile, Queensland authorities said they were unable to guarantee the state's border would reopen once 80 per cent of the state's population was vaccinated as planned, in light of the emerging health threat.

Acting chief health officer Peter Aitken said officials were monitoring the situation and incoming visitors from hotspots interstate may be subjected to quarantine.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said it only took the Delta variant three weeks to reach 53 nations, and the effectiveness of Omicron against vaccines was still being established.

Drug company representatives said it would take around 100 days to develop an updated vaccine to combat Omicron, if required.

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Omicron, deemed a 'variant of concern' by the World Health Organisation, has more than 30 mutations in the spike protein alone.

If it is more transmissible than Delta, as feared, experts said Omicron could become the second-most contagious disease after measles.

Mr Morrison said he 'fully supports' the move by NSW, Victoria and the ACT to make all overseas arrivals go into isolation as authorities scramble to contain the threat posed by the Omicron strain.

'The very serious issues regarding the new variant have been moving quickly,' he said.

'We took strong action yesterday. I had good discussions with the premiers in NSW and Victoria, and fully support the actions they are taking.

'It is a fast moving issue but we will continue, as we always have, sensible, balanced, guided by the best possible medical evidence and medical expert advice.

'That is what has enabled Australia to be so successful throughout the Covid [pandemic] to be safe and to remain open.'

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the government would not hesitate if more needed to be done to combat the Omicron strain.

'Overnight international evidence came in and we took the immediate steps yesterday and will continue to do that to protect Australians,' he said.

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'Yesterday, there were over 3,800 passengers who arrived in Australia... 54 were from southern Africa.

'They had been there and identified in the previous 14 days across the nine countries and what we are pleased to see is that all of the orders that were issued yesterday had been put in place, actions had been taken, Border Force is implementing in states and territories and public health is supporting.'

The introduction of self-isolation rules in the three states comes only four weeks after Victoria and NSW removed hotel quarantine requirements for fully-vaccinated travellers on November 1.

The ACT ended hotel quarantine for overseas arrivals on November 12.

The Victorian health department says the new rules will apply to unvaccinated children under 12 and unaccompanied minors, along with any household contacts of the returned travellers.

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