Healthcare workers at a Michigan Health Professionals drive-thru Covid-19 testing site in Farmington Hills, Michigan, US, on November 29 2021. Picture: BLOOMBERG/EMILY ELCONIN
Countries have swiftly imposed bans on travel from Southern Africa, where the variant was identified. Japan and Israel went even further, announcing bans on all foreign visitors. US President Joe Biden met CEOs of major retailers and other companies on Monday to discuss how to move goods to shelves as the US holiday shopping season begins in the shadow of Omicron.
The prospect of a fast-spreading variant has raised fears of a return of the sort of restrictions that shut down a swathe of industries in 2020. In the US, carmaker plants were closed for two months last year. Even after restarting operations, they have curtailed production schedules due to semiconductor chip shortages and other supply-chain constraints. Carmakers said it was too soon to predict the impact of Omicron.