now been reversed owing to the newly discovered Omicron variant of COVID-19. Following an emergency security meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed that the much anticipated Dec 1 reopening will be delayed by at least two weeks for the above groups, while plans to permit visitors from South Korea and Japan have also been put on hold.
“The temporary pause will ensure Australia can gather the information we need to better understand the Omicron variant,” the Prime Minister said. Describing the delay as a “necessary and temporary delay”, he pointed out that concerns remain in relation to “the efficacy of the vaccine, the range of illness, including if it may generate more mild symptoms, and the level of transmission”.
The decision is expected to raise concerns in Australia’s education sector, which has been severely affected by the pandemic, with 130,000 international students being forced to remain outside the country, according to Universities Australia, a Deakin-based industry group.
The B.1.1.529 variant of COVID-19, named Omicron, was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on Wednesday (24 Nov). The transmissibility of the variant and the severity of disease caused by it are not yet clear, as researchers from across the globe continue to conduct studies to better understand many aspects of the new strain.
“Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection with Omicron,” read a statement published on the WHO website on Sunday. “There is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants.”
