Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has urged vigilance against the spread of the coronavirus after the island detected its first cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant spreading in the community, Reuters reports.

After months of relative safety, Taiwan this week reported its first two cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, both linked to a quarantine hotel. Another person, a cleaner working at the island's main international airport, was “likely” to be infected with the Omicron variant, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said.

“With the emergence of domestic cases, everyone must stay vigilant,” Tsai said in a post on Facebook, adding that epidemic prevention measures had been tightened at the airport.