UK, Germany & Italy report cases as world scrambles to shut out variant

Suspected Case In Czech Republic; More Countries Impose Travel Curbs

Britain and Germany each detected two cases of thenew Omicron coronavirus variant on Saturday while Italy reported one positive case. British PM Boris Johnson announced new steps to contain the virus, while more nations imposed restrictions on travel from southern Africa. The discovery of the variant has sparked global concern, a wave of travel bans or curbs and a sell-off on financial markets on Friday as investors worried that Omicron could stall a global recovery from the nearly two-year pandemic.

The two linked cases of the new variant detected in Britain were connected to travel to southern Africa, British health minister Sajid Javid said. Speaking later, Johnson laid out measures that included stricter testing rules for people arriving in the country but that stopped short of curbs on social activity other than mask wearing in some settings. “We will require anyone who enters the UK to take a PCR test by the end of the second day after their arrival and to self-isolate until they have a negative result,” Johnson told a news conference. People who had come into contact with people testing positive for a suspected case of Omicron would have to self-isolate for 10 days and the government would tighten up the rules on wearing face coverings, he said, adding the steps would be reviewed in three weeks.