Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Saturday

The latest:

A total of 61 people who arrived in the Netherlands on two flights from South Africa on Friday tested positive for the coronavirus and were in isolation on Saturday as the world anxiously sought to contain a new coronavirus variant.

Further tests are now underway on the travellers who arrived at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to establish if any of them have the new variant, named omicron, that was first discovered in southern Africa.

The variant's apparent swift spread among young people in South Africa has alarmed health professionals. Research is underway to determine whether the mutations found in omicron make it more infectious and transmissible. 

Two planes arrived in the Netherlands from Johannesburg and Cape Town shortly after the Dutch government, along with many other nations around the world, on Friday imposed a ban on flights from southern African nations following discovery of the new omicron variant.

The Kennermerland local health authority, which is responsible for the testing and isolation operation, said in an update Saturday that the people who tested positive must quarantine for seven days if they have symptoms and five days if they are symptom-free.

The 539 travellers who tested negative were allowed to return home or continue their journeys to other countries. Under government regulations, those who live in the Netherlands and are allowed to return home must self-isolate for at least five days.

Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos on Friday announced five measures in response to concerns over the variant, also known as B.1.1.529:

A slew of European nations are implementing similar policies, including Italy, which on Friday said it would ban entry into the country of anyone who has been in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini in the past 14 days.

The U.K. announced it was suspending flights from South Africa and five other southern African countries, excluding Mozambique. British or Irish residents arriving from those countries after 4 a.m. local time Sunday will face a mandatory hotel quarantine, while those returning before that will be asked to isolate at home.

The U.S. plans to ban flights from eight southern African countries, adding Malawi to its list, starting Monday. The White House said restrictions will not apply to returning U.S. citizens or permanent residents, who will continue to be required to test negative before their travel.

The new variant has been detected in Botswana and among travellers in Hong Kong and Israel. Belgium became the first European Union country to announce a case of the variant on Friday.

A minister in the German state of Hesse said on Saturday that the variant had possibly arrived in Germany via a traveller returning from South Africa. Czech health authorities said they were examining a suspected case of the variant in a person who spent time in Namibia.

At this time, the variant has not been detected in Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada said on Friday.