Received

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 131

Boris Johnson has ordered the return of mandatory mask-wearing in shops and on public transport, and for contacts of Omicron COVID-19 cases to self-isolate, even if they are vaccinated, after the concerning variant was detected in Britain.

All international arrivals will have to take a PCR test by the end of their second day in the United Kingdom, as the prime minister prepared to reimpose measures to control the spread of coronavirus over fears the new strain could evade existing vaccines.

Johnson said the "temporary and precautionary" measures will be reviewed in three weeks, while the government's vaccine experts will be tasked with considering whether to extend booster jabs to all over-18s.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid will be questioned on the details of the restrictions, including on when exactly they will be introduced, during broadcast interviews on Sunday.

Johnson announced the strengthening of England's rules at a Downing Street press conference, after two cases of Omicron were identified, in Nottingham and Brentwood, Essex, with both linked to travel to southern Africa.

He said the strain, designated a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation, appears to spread "very rapidly", can transmit between the double-vaccinated and may partially reduce the protection of existing vaccines.

Downing Street said compulsory mask-wearing will return in England's shops and on public transport in the coming week, falling back into line with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but will not be required in pubs and restaurants.

To slow the "seeding" of the virus in the UK, Johnson said anyone who enters the UK must take a PCR test by the end of the second day of their arrival and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.

But he said border measures can "only ever minimise and delay the arrival of a new variant rather than stop it all together", so all contacts with a suspected case of the new variant will have to isolate for 10 days, regardless of their vaccination status.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said they intend to mirror the border restrictions.

On Saturday, the UK Health Security Agency confirmed the two Omicron cases in England after genomic sequencing overnight.

The individuals and their households were ordered into self-isolation and targeted testing is being carried out in areas where they are thought to have been infectious.

To further slow the arrival of cases, ministers said Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola will face travel restrictions from Sunday, when they will join South Africa and five other neighbouring nations on UK red lists.

The prime minister said he is confident this Christmas "will be considerably better than the last", which was largely cancelled for millions of people, but he refused to say whether further restrictions could be imposed.

MPs are expected to be given a vote to approve the measures after they come into force, during which a number of backbench Tories may stage a rebellion. But it is thought unlikely Labour would oppose the restrictions, virtually guaranteeing they will pass.

While the effectiveness of vaccines against Omicron is currently unclear, Johnson said there are "good reasons for believing they will provide at least some measure of protection".

He stopped short of bringing back the work-from-home guidance or extending the use of vaccine passports.

© RAW 2021

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 133

Flights from nine countries in southern Africa are suspended and arrivals who have been in the region will be forced into mandatory quarantine, as Australia scrambles to respond to a "concerning" new variant of COVID-19

There are no known cases of the Omicron strain in Australia yet, but Health Minister Greg Hunt on Saturday said precautionary measures were needed.

Flights from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique will cease for two weeks.

Non-citizens who have been in those countries aren't allowed into Australia.

Australian citizens and their dependents face mandatory two-week quarantine if they have been in the region.

The new variant, named Omicron by the World Health Organisation on Saturday, has been detected in South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong, Israel, Belgium and the United Kingdom.

It has double the number of mutations as the Delta variant that sparked a third wave of outbreaks and lockdowns in Australia this year.

Several states have tightened measures in response to the possible risk.

In NSW, arrivals who have been overseas recently - not just in southern Africa - will need to isolate at home for 72 hours.

People already in the state who have been in the nine countries in the past two weeks must isolate for 14 days and be immediately tested.

Anyone in the ACT who has been to the nine countries in the past 14 days must get a PCR test and quarantine immediately.

ACT Health will also implement quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated overseas travellers who have not been in these countries.

These travellers must quarantine until 11.59pm Tuesday November 30.

South Australia extended the length of its quarantine requirement for fully-vaccinated Australian international arrivals to two weeks, and made small changes to its interstate arrival regime.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan announced SA would be designated 'low risk', introducing a quarantine requirement for international arrivals from the state. He said it was necessary because of quarantine requirements loosening in recent days.

Tasmania will bar entry to people who have been in southern Africa unless they' have first completed two weeks of supervised quarantine on the mainland.

Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said Omicron was spreading quickly, but it wasn't clear that it caused more severe symptoms than existing strains.

It is not yet known whether existing vaccines are any less effective against the new variant than prevailing strains.

There were nearly 1500 new cases reported nationally on Saturday, including 1252 in Victoria, 235 in NSW, seven in the ACT and one each in Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Five more deaths were recorded in Victoria.

On the latest figures, 92.2 per cent of people 16 and over in Australia have received at least their first vaccine dose and 86.55 per cent both.

© AAP 2021

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 129

NSW will send people who have been overseas in the two weeks before their arrival into three days of home quarantine, as the state works out its response to the threat posed by a new, "concerning" variant of COVID-19.

Premier Dominic Perrottet says precautionary steps are needed to protect against the Omicron variant while experts investigate the risk.

The border control, announced on Saturday evening, is on top of new restrictions imposed by the federal government on Saturday, closing the border to nine countries in southern Africa.

Australian citizens entering NSW who have been in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Malawi, and the Seychelles in the last two weeks must now do two weeks of mandatory hotel quarantine, federal health minister Greg Hunt announced on Saturday.

Anyone already in NSW who has been in those regions within the previous 14 days must immediately be tested, isolate for 14 days and contact NSW Health.

The NSW measures apply more broadly to anyone who has been overseas at all.

The home quarantine requirement is more extensive for flight crews who have been overseas.

They will have to isolate for 14 days or until they leave the country.

NSW is so far the only jurisdiction to impose extra restrictions on overseas arrivals who haven't been in southern Africa.

The changes kicked in at midnight on Saturday.

Mr Perrottet said there would be no immediate changes to NSW's reopening roadmap.

He warned against complacency, reiterating the pandemic is far from over.

Health experts around the world are working to understand the new variant, which has a higher number of spike protein surfaces.

In particular, Mr Hazzard said, it is not yet known if vaccines are any less effective against the strain.

Meanwhile, the state added 235 new infections to its caseload on Saturday, and no further deaths.

NSW's hospitals continue to treat 174 patients, 26 of them in intensive care units and 10 requiring ventilation

Testers processed more than 62,000 results in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday.

NSW is 94.5 per cent single-dosed for everyone 16 and over, while 92.3 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Of 12-15-year-olds, 81.2 per cent have received one jab and 76.2 per cent both.

Should NSW reach its goal of 95 per cent full coverage by December 15 an early easing of restrictions will trigger, according to the state's roadmap out of lockdown.

© AAP 2021

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 132

An evacuation order has been issued to residents of towns along the Hunter River in NSW as rising floodwaters threaten power and water services.

People along within the Whittingham, Scotts Flat, Glenridding, Dunolly and Combo areas had to evacuate the high danger area by 7pm on Saturday, the State Emergency Service said.

Widespread heavy rainfall led to flooding across much of the state.

Rain eased on Saturday afternoon, with not much forecast for Sunday.

However, the statewide situation remains volatile, with numerous watches and warnings active following a month of heavy rainfall.

More than 30 people have been rescued from floodwaters since Friday lunchtime. The SES has received more than 745 requests for help.

In the central west, Eugowra residents are being told to prepare to evacuate as water levels rise along the Mandagery Creek.

Canowindra near Orange is on alert with major flooding possible on Sunday morning.

In the Hunter, major flooding is on the cards in Singleton for Sunday morning, and Maitland is also on alert.

On Monday, the Macquarie River at Warren could also reach major heights.

Areas of major concern include along the Namoi River at Gunnedah, in the state's northeast, and the Castlereagh River around Coonamble in the central west.

The Bureau of Meteorology said some areas of the state were hit with more than 100mm of rain on Friday.

On Saturday evening, there were major flood warnings for the Lachlan at Jemalong and the Namoi at Narrabri and Wee Waa, where it's feared residents could be cut off for more than a week.

Sydney's Warragamba Dam began spilling shortly after 9pm on Friday.

WaterNSW said the outflow volume could peak at a rate of about 60-80 gigalitres per day, just a fraction of levels in March that peaked at 500 gigalitres per day.

"On current projections the spill could continue for up to a week," WaterNSW said in a statement on Saturday, adding "downstream impacts are likely".

A flood watch is in place for the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley in western Sydney.

Premier Dominic Perrottet on Saturday urged residents to follow safety advice and avoid driving through flooding,

The number of flood rescues performed by SES volunteers was "way too high", he said.

"Those rescues take place in the main because people aren't following the instructions, they're driving through floodwaters. Don't do that. Follow the advice, that's the best way to stay safe."

Police said a LandCruiser was swept from a small causeway and carried 200 metres downstream by rising waters at Burrell Creek, west of Taree, on Friday afternoon.

Two men waded in to rescue the 65-year-old trapped driver but also became stranded. The trio were eventually hauled to safety by five police officers who fashioned a lasso from a length of rope.

Hunter Valley police also dragged a 52-year-old man from a spillway at Muswellbrook after his Toyota HiLux was swept 400m away by the current on Friday evening.

An RFS helicopter rescued a man trapped on the roof of his car in floodwaters at Caroona on the northeastern Liverpool Plains earlier on Friday.

© AAP 2021