Taiwan on COVID alert as domestic Omicron cases spike

A staff gives orders while people receive booster shot of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a square, in Taipei, Taiwan, January 17, 2022.REUTERS/Ann Wang

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's government ordered a tightening of controls on Saturday after a rare spike in domestic transmission of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, saying it needed to act now to prevent being overwhelmed even though overall numbers remain quite low.

After months of no or few community infections, Taiwan has seen a small rise in local COVID-19 cases since the start of the month, almost all Omicron, mainly linked to workers at the main international airport in the northern city of Taoyuan who were infected by arriving passengers.