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Members of Victoria's African community say new travel restrictions imposed by the state government are "disheartening," as authorities work to learn more about a new COVID-19 variant.
Key points:
- Two cases confirmed of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in Sydney
- Three other potential cases are under investigation
- Members of the Ballarat African community says it's difficult, but says new travel restrictions are 'right'
Investigations are underway in NSW into three possible cases of the Omicron variant, after two travellers tested positive for the strain following their arrival in Sydney on Saturday.
It has led to a series of precautionary changes in travel requirements by the Victorian state government.
Anyone who has visited South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Malawi or the Seychelles in the past 14 days must undergo two weeks of hotel quarantine.
Forty airline passengers are in isolation in Victoria.
Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the restrictions will allow more time for health authorities to better prepare for and understand the variant.
The president of the Ballarat African Association, Dr Michael Akindeju said it's come at a tough time for the African community, with international travel restrictions only lifting at the start of November.
"(There are a) number of people who would have taken that opportunity to quickly travel and expected now they're fully vaccinated they can travel in and out," Dr Akindeju said.
"For parents or grandparents who think they can meet their grandchildren, for various other reasons people have may come into Australia.
"With the new development, it is disheartening that they may not be able to make that trip."
However, "on balance" Dr Akinjedu said he understands the government's approach and that it was "right."
He said he is concerned by the rate the new variant appears to be spreading.
"The inequalities across the world, and that's applicable to African countries... the vaccination rates are quite low," he said.
Federation University immunologist Dr Stuart Berzins told ABC Ballarat breakfast radio, while the new variant appears to spread quickly - it could be due to several factors.
"We don't know whether these people have been vaccinated or not, in Africa the vaccination rate is about 10 per cent for the continent – and I believe it’s higher for south Africa itself," Dr Berzins said.
"We really don't whether it makes people sicker, we don't know how it affects people who have been vaccinated."
"There isn't enough to panic about it or think that it's going to be like another Delta wave."
Dr Berzins said it's likely immunologists and authorities will have a better idea of the variant very quickly.
"We will probably know more in the next week or so," Dr Berzins said.
"The danger is that countries in south Africa that are now seeing travel from their areas completely shut down, that's basically going to kill their tourism industries.
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