US urges booster shots as Hong Kong issues 'zero Covid' travel ban

Travel restrictions are rapidly expanding amid fears the new coronavirus strain is highly contagious

A traveller walks through the departure hall at Hong Kong International Airport, China, on Monday, November 29. Bloomberg

Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron

The US Centre for Disease Control has urged all adults to get a booster shot as soon as possible amid fears the new Omicron strain of the coronavirus is more transmissible than Delta.

Hong Kong became the latest destination to issue sweeping travel bans, not only from southern Africa – the new strain was identified in South Africa – but also a number of other nations.

The financial centre banned non-residents from entering the city from four African countries and plans to expand that to travellers who have been to Australia, Canada, Israel and six European countries in the past 21 days due to fears over Omicron.

Indian students apply the finishing touches to paintings created to raise awareness of the variant in Mumbai. Reuters

International travellers wearing personal protective equipment arrive at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport as Australia records its first cases of the Omicron variant. AFP

A greeting at the international terminal of Sydney Airport, as countries respond to the new variant. Reuters

A sign asking people to wear face coverings in a building in Manhattan as the newly discovered Omicron variant appears in countries around the world. AFP

Tourists wave as the ‘Europa’ passenger liner arrives in South African waters off Cape Town as the new coronavirus variant Omicron spreads in other countries. Reuters

Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. Dutch health authorities said they have found another case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant among passengers arriving from South Africa, bringing the country’s total to 14. AFP

Pupils wear face masks in Beijing. Despite the global worry, scientists say it remains unclear whether the Omicron variant is more dangerous than other strains of the virus. AP

People wearing face masks in Manhattan. New York's governor has declared a state of emergency due to the risk of a surge of Covid-19 cases as winter sets in. AFP

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid meets a member of staff at a vaccine centre in Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, London. Getty Images

A sign points the way to a Covid-19 test centre at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. AFP

Narita International Airport in Japan is quiet after travel was restricted to prevent the spread of Omicron. Reuters

A PCR test at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. AFP

Soekarno Hatta International airport. Indonesia has banned the arrival of travellers who have recently been in eight southern African countries. Reuters

Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok after Thailand banned entry from eight southern African countries due to the Omicron variant. Reuters

Travellers wear personal protective equipment outside the international terminal at Sydney Airport, Australia. Reuters

Passengers wearing protective gear at Incheon International Airport in South Korea, where health authorities have imposed an entry ban on foreign arrivals from eight African countries, including South Africa. EPA

Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. The Israeli government approved a 14-day ban on foreign arrivals over concerns about Omicron. EPA

Travellers queuing in the hope of boarding an overbooked Lufthansa flight at Cape Town International Airport. Antonie Robertson / The National

Covid-stricken Czech President Milos Zeman sits in a plastic cage as he appoints Petr Fiala as Prime Minister, near Prague. AFP

Tourists checking in at Cape Town International Airport in South Africa. Antonie Robertson / The National

Several airlines have stopped flying out of South Africa amid the spread of the new variant, causing disruption at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Reuters

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Two cases of the recently discovered Omicron variant were detected in New South Wales. EPA

Passengers, many not wearing face coverings, on the London Underground. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said mandatory mask-wearing would return to shops and public transport in England but there are concerns over how the rule will be enforced. AFP

A stroll, with face masks, in Biarritz, south-western France. French Health Minister Olivier Veran said France had no confirmed cases of the Omicron variant and was not changing its strategy of increasing vaccinations and booster shots. AP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty during a press conference on the variant in London. Reuters

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday the Omicron coronavirus variant carried a very high risk of infection surges, and countries around the world have tightened travel restrictions.

A statement by the Hong Kong government said non-residents from Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia would not be allowed to enter the global financial hub as of November 30. Residents can return if they are vaccinated but will have to quarantine for seven days in a government facility and another two weeks in a hotel at their own cost.

"Non-Hong Kong residents from these four places will not be allowed to enter Hong Kong," the statement said. "The most stringent quarantine requirements will also be implemented on relevant inbound travellers from these places."

Additionally, non-residents who have been to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Israel, and Italy in the past 21 days would not be allowed to enter the city from December 2. Vaccinated residents returning from these countries will have to quarantine in a hotel for three weeks.

Authorities have detected three people with the Omicron variant through mandatory testing while in quarantine, but it has no known coronavirus cases in the general community.

The global financial hub is among the last places in the world pursuing a "zero-Covid" strategy and has some of the tightest travel restrictions. In coming months it hopes to partially reopen the border with mainland China, which also has no tolerance for coronavirus cases.

Canada Omicron cases rise

A further two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in Ottawa, bringing Canada's total number of cases to five, Ottawa Public Health said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Quebec discovered its first case of the variant, health officials said.

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube told reporters 115 travellers coming from countries affected by the new variant, primarily South Africa, were called and asked to isolate and test for Covid-19.

Quebec's first case was a recent traveller to Nigeria, public health director Horacio Arruda said, similar to the two cases reported on Sunday by Ontario province.

The arrival of the new variant ahead of the Christmas holiday season comes as Quebec faces a recent increase in cases, mostly in the unvaccinated, Mr Dube said. In the past 24 hours Quebec reported 756 cases.

Mr Dube urged travellers to rethink holiday trips and warned against large celebrations. The province limits gatherings in private homes to 10 people.

"The next few weeks will be critical," Mr Dube said.