Malaysia has announced new Covid-19 restrictions, including banning mass gatherings and requiring booster doses for high-risk groups, as it reported its second case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, Reuters reports.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said authorities were also verifying 18 more suspected cases of the variant, believed by experts to be the most transmissible yet, with results expected by Friday.

The second case was an 8-year-old travelling with family from Nigeria, where the family resided, via Qatar, Khairy told reporters. All close contacts, including 35 passengers on the same flight, have tested negative for the coronavirus so far.