UK re-imposes face covering due to Omicron variant

LONDON, Nov 27 (KUNA) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced that travel restrictions and face covering have become mandatory "to slow down the spread" of Omicron variant.
The new variant was first reported in South Africa on Wednesday, with early evidence suggesting it has a higher re-infection risk,Johnson pointed out.
He made the comments at a Downing Street press conference after the British health authorities detected two Omicron infections.
"Our scientists are learning more hour by hour, and it does appear that Omicron spreads very rapidly and can be spread between people who are double vaccinated," BBC quoted him as saying.
"We need to slow down the spread of this variant here in the UK, because measures at the border can only ever minimise and delay the arrival of a new variant rather than stop it all together," he noted.
Face coverings will become mandatory again in shops and on public transport in England from next week under a raft of measures to target the new Covid variant, Omicron, the Prime Minister affirmed.
PCR tests for everyone entering the UK will be introduced and all contacts of new variant cases will have to self-isolate, even if fully jabbed, according to BBC report. (pickup previous) mrn.gb