Reports from Italy said the worker’s symptoms were mild and all his immediate family and contacts have been placed in quarantine and under observation. The first European country to record a case of Omicron was Belgium in a passenger who had returned from Egypt and developed symptoms 11 days later.Ī case in Italy was recorded on Saturday in a fully-vaccinated manager returning from work in Mozambique. Many countries around the world, including the EU, have restricted travel from southern African countries to try and stem the spread of the variant. It has been categorised by the WHO as a "variant of concern". Omicron was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by South Africa last week, and early evidence suggests it has a higher re-infection risk. The UK has also introduced mandatory PCR testing for all incoming travellers, who will have to self-isolate until they receive their results. The person is no longer in the UK but had visited Westminster in London. The news from the Netherlands comes on the back of a third case of Omicron being detected in the UK. They are among 61 passengers who tested positive for COVID-19 as the country re-introduces restrictions to combat a record surge in cases. Netherlands has detected the new coronavirus variant Omicron in 13 people who arrived in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa.