Japan has stopped new bookings onto incoming flights after identifying the first cases of the Omicron strain of Covid-19. The country has also tightened its quarantine requirements for all arriving passengers, and extended a ban on non-citizens coming from 10 countries in southern Africa. Travel companies have seen their shares tumble in recent days as governments tighten border rules in response to the new variant. Also today, Australia's economy feels the pinch from the recent lockdowns.