Holidays sent into a spin as new variant puts borders in limbo

The nation’s top doctors are racing to discover the likely impact of Omicron in Australia as the new variant is confirmed in travellers in Sydney, with border reopenings and holiday plans now in limbo.

Australia’s top doctors are racing to discover the transmissibility and severity of the omicron strain of Covid-19, as well as whether it is resistant to the vaccines, throwing border reopenings and holiday plans into limbo.

While Prime Minister Scott Morrison is urging calm, the emergence of the new variant of concern has put question marks over state and international border reopenings as it spreads of South Africa to other nations.

Queensland’s acting chief health officer Dr Peter Aitken could not guarantee the borders would reopen without quarantine to domestic hot spots, describing the issue as “hypothetical”.

“We’ll make that decision when there’s evidence available that needs a change in position. But at this stage there’s no evidence available to support a change in position,” he said.

Dr Aitken said “we need to be cautious but we don’t need to be alarmed” over the new strain detected in South Africa.

The new strain has already found its way in to Australia, with two Sydney arrivals in hotel quarantine testing positive to the new strain, while test results are pending for a potential third case in the Northern Territory’s Howard Springs facility.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is meeting with the nation’s medical advisory panel daily to discuss the new Covid-19 strain. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Morrison was briefed by Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy and Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly on Sunday, while the medical advisory panel the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee met again later that afternoon.

The three questions they are seeking answers to are how transmissible it is, how severe it is and how effective vaccines are against it, with daily meetings to be held by the AHPPC.

The omicron has already been detected in Belgium, Israel, Hong Kong, Italy and the UK.

While international borders already slammed shut to nine African nations, where the variant has emerged from, Trade and Tourism Minister Dan Tehan has not ruled out tougher restrictions if advice from the AHPPC changes.

“We’ve taken a cautionary approach, that’s what we’ll continue to take as we work through what this variant is all about and what potential impacts it may have,” Mr Tehan said.

“We think that’s got the balance right at the moment, but there’s obviously more work that needs to be done in understanding the new variant and the potential impacts it might have.”

The nine nations Australia is restricting travel from for the next 14 days are South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Mozambique and Malawi.

NSW is also requiring international travellers who have been in any other overseas country during the 14-day period before their arrival in NSW to travel directly to their place of residence or accommodation and isolate for 72 hours, pending further health advice.

Despite the precautions, Queensland’s acting chief health officer Dr Peter Aitken was unable to guarantee the state’s borders would still fully reopen at the 80 per cent vaccination threshold.

“We’ll make that decision when there’s evidence available that needs a change in position. But at this stage there’s no evidence available to support a change in position,” he said.

Dr Aitken said 10 people from the nine southern African countries where Omicron had been detected were quarantining in Queensland and that Queensland Health had been in contact with all of them.

Acting chief health officer Peter Aitken says people should be alert but not alarmed. Picture: Liam Kidston

He said “we need to be cautious but we don’t need to be alarmed” over the new strain detected in South Africa.

Mr Morrison said the government would keep a close eye on developments with omicron, but a new variant emerging “is not a surprise”.

“We need to be very responsive to the further evidence that is becoming available and the expert medical advice,” he said.

“The objective is to open safely and remain safely open.

“The goal is not to have no cases. The goal is to ensure that our public hospitals and health systems are able to cope with this virus so we can live with the virus.”

He said there was no evidence yet regarding its greater severity or not, thought it appears to have greater transmissibility.

“What we need to continue to do is keep working together, get through this just like we got through every single other one,” he said.

“We have been able to push through the Delta strain and Delta is still out there. But our vaccination rates are one of the highest in the world.”

A meeting of national cabinet was already due to be held on Friday.

The Federal Government is urging calm, but says it “won’t hesitate” to take more measures if necessary.

Originally published as Holidays sent into a spin as new variant puts borders in limbo