A 31 year-old woman from Australia was charged with arson following a fire that destroyed a Covid-19 quarantine hospital in Cairns.
According to reports, she set a fire to a bed in the bedroom she shared with her two children on Sunday morning.
As fire erupted in Pacific Hotel’s 11-storey building, more than 160 people had to be evacuated. Nobody was hurt.
This was after Australia confirmed two cases.
Omicron was reported for the first time in South Africa. It has been classified by the World Health Organization as “of concern”, with early evidence suggesting a higher risk of re-infection.
Canberra’s government has suspended flights from South Africa and Zimbabwe. Non-Australians who were in these countries within the last two weeks are now prohibited from entering Australia.
In an effort to prevent Covid, Australians spent 20 months in Australia under the most stringent border rules.
It is unclear if the new variant will result in a rollback of some relaxations that were implemented early in the month.
Some Australian states have ended their attempt to eliminate all cases by vaccinating due to a surge in vaccines.
Unvaccinated travelers must be quarantined for 14 days at hotels within the country.
