The Latest Breaking News from Omicron

Restrictions introduced in late December in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant are also set to be lifted.

It comes as Primark's Owner, Associated British Foods revealed a hit to trading as Omicron kept shoppers away

Jacinda Ardern says Omicron is ‘knocking at our door’ as the prime minister faces criticism over gaps in preparations for a Covid wave

Economy adds 64,800 jobs in December, but ABS survey period did not include economic disruption caused by Omicron wave

French PM says from February work from home guidance will be changed and nightclubs reopen; Austria will have Europe’s first universal jabs mandate

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday that restrictions will be tightened across the country if there is a community transmission of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus but she ruled out lockdowns.

"We need to be on guard, and ready," Jacinda Ardern says.

Consumer-facing businesses felt the brunt of the variant's impact, with the tourism, hospitality and transportation acutely affected

"We are not out of the woods, and we need people to be very careful over these next few weeks," Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said. Gov. J.B. Pritzker observed, "I am cautiously optimistic about this decline, but there are an awful lot of people still battling for…