Hong Kong expanded a ban on entry for non-residents from several countries as global health authorities raced to curb the spread of the Omicron variant, while Australia's cabinet will review on Tuesday containment steps after five travellers tested positive, APA reports citing Reuters.
Singapore's health ministry said two travellers from Johannesburg who tested positive for the variant in Sydney had transited through its Changi airport.
Omicron - which the World Health Organization (WHO) said carries a "very high" risk of infection surges - has triggered global alarm, with border closures casting a shadow over a nascent economic recovery from a two-year pandemic. read more
However, hopes the variant will be milder than feared have helped restore some calm to markets after a rout on Friday that saw roughly $2 trillion being wiped off the value of global stocks.
Traders also took comfort from remarks by President Joe Biden that the United States would not reinstate lockdowns.
"This variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic," Biden said in remarks at the White House.
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