Coronavirus: Australia reports first local Omicron case; South Korea expands use of vaccine pass
- Infection in a Sydney school student raises the possibility that the new variant may already be spreading more widely in the community
- From next week, people visiting 14 designated public spaces, including entertainment venues in South Korea, will have to show their vaccines passes
The case, detected in Sydney, comes despite a ban on non-citizens entering the country and restrictions on flights from southern Africa, where the variant was first detected.
New South Wales Health said “the case has no overseas travel history or links to people with overseas travel history” but stressed that further investigations and contact tracing were under way.
Australia has detected nine other Omicron cases, but all were detected in incoming travellers.
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Omicron confirmed in 24 countries as new Covid-19 variant continues to spread
The latest case raises the possibility that Omicron may already be spreading more widely in the community.
The student’s Regents Park Christian School in the west of Sydney has been closed and the family is said to be in quarantine.