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‘Urgent’ meeting of G7 health ministers amid fears over Omicron variant

Omicron
Countries across the globe have tightened restrictions in response to the Omicron variant (Pictures: AP/Metro.co.uk)

The UK has called an ‘urgent’ G7 meeting tomorrow to discuss the Omicron Covid variant.

Health ministers from the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States will convene as world leaders tighten restrictions in response to the ‘worst variant yet’.

A third case of Omicron was confirmed in the UK on Sunday amid fears the new variant could be more resistant to vaccines.

Officials are searching for potential contacts as far back as nine days ago – raising questions about how long it has been in the country.

The Government announced that face coverings will be obligatory in shops and on public transport in England from Tuesday in a last-minute press conference yesterday.

Travel rules are also tightening up, with anyone arriving in England now ordered to take a PCR test on day two and to self-isolate until they have a negative result.

Israel became the first country to close its borders to foreigners today after one case was confirmed.

METRO GRAPHICS B.1.1.529, Omicron variant, formerly known as Botswana variant
Scientists are still investigating the variant (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
Passengers, some wearing face coverings to combat the spread of Covid-19, travel on the London underground in central London on November 28, 2021. - Health Secretary Sajid Javid said mandatory mask-wearing will return to shops and public transport in England on Tuesday, and told families to plan for Christmas
Mask wearing will return on pubic transport from Tuesday (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, unvaccinated British visitors are banned from Spain from Wednesday – a blow for the travel sector just as Christmas get-away season kicks off.

Four more countries have been added to the red list – Angola, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia.

It comes after flights were stopped from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia on Friday. 

Sajid Javid has advised people to ‘continue with their plans as normal for Christmas’.

He told Sky’s Trevor Phillips the UK is ‘far from’ another lockdown, although it ‘would be irresponsible to make guarantees’.

The Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘Under the UK presidency an urgent meeting of G7 health ministers will also be convened on Monday November 29 to discuss the developments on Omicron.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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