Scotland reports 6 new cases of omicron variant

London: The Scottish government has announced the discovery of six new cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus, taking the U.K. total to nine.

It said Monday it has asked public health authorities to undertake enhanced contact tracing in all cases.

Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said authorities need to be cautious” until more is known about the variant.

Over the weekend, health authorities found three cases of the variant, which prompted the British government to tighten rules on mask-wearing and testing of arrivals in the country.

Also read | This is Merriam-Webster’s ‘2021 word of the year’