Australia Anticipating The Possible First Omicron Variant Community Case, PM Morrison: Don't Be Afraid Of This

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. (Wikimedia Commons/Eesan1969)

JAKARTA - Australian authorities said on Tuesday that an international traveler most likely infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus had spent time in the community, as officials rushed to trace the person's close contacts and locations visited.

New South Wales (NSW) health officials said initial testing "strongly indicates" that travelers who arrived in Sydney last week before the latest border restrictions had been infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Fully vaccinated people visit busy shopping malls in Sydney while possibly infectious, officials said. All passengers on the person's flight have been asked to self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status.

If confirmed, the total number of cases infected with the new variant in Australia would rise to six. All other cases have been quarantined and are asymptomatic or exhibit very mild symptoms.

Authorities also said urgent genomic tests had begun to determine whether the other two positive cases were infected with the Omicron variant.

Reports of possible new community cases come ahead of a meeting of Australia's national cabinet on Tuesday, to review measures aimed at limiting the spread of the variant.

Australia on Monday postponed the reopening of its international borders by two weeks, less than 36 hours before international students and skilled migrants are allowed to re-enter the country.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday said he would urge state leaders to go ahead with plans to open internal borders before Christmas.

"We need to make a calm decision. Don't be afraid of this," PM Morrison said at a news conference in Canberra, citing Reuters on November 30.

The Omicron variant, dubbed the "attention variant" by the World Health Organization, is potentially more infectious than previous variants despite signs it may be milder than initially feared.

Previously, the five travelers with the detected Omicron variant were all vaccinated and quarantined, health officials said, adding they were asymptomatic or exhibiting very mild symptoms.

"We are doing this out of an abundance of caution, but our overwhelming view is that, while (Omicron) is an emerging variant, it is a manageable variant," Federal Health Secretary Greg Hunt said at a media conference in Canberra.

To note, strict border restrictions and rapid lockdowns have helped Australia keep the COVID-19 rate relatively low, with around 210.000 cases and 2.006 deaths.