Group size curbs should be retained given high transmissibility of Omicron variant, say experts

Infectious disease experts agreed that the sheer transmissibility of the variant means it will still pose a threat to hospital capacity.

However, some experts said that the approach reflects an "abundance of caution".

They cautioned that not enough is known about Omicron to conclude that it is a mild illness.

The experts noted that Omicron appears to result in a lower percentage of hospitalisation and severe illness compared to Delta.

Still, a smaller proportion of much larger numbers could still mean challenging overall numbers of severe cases, they added.