HONG KONG: Asian shares opened slightly lower in thin holiday trade on Monday as fears lingered over the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
In Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index dipped 0.22 percent in early trade. Hong Kong was closed for a holiday.
Shanghai was marginally up, while Seoul was slightly down.
The highly transmissible Omicron strain has sent new cases skyrocketing across the globe, with countries reviving lockdowns, major sports leagues cancelling fixtures, and cruise ships returning to port with Covid-infected passengers.
Even in China, where a “zero-Covid” strategy has largely kept infections in check, officials recorded 206 new infections Sunday — a count tiny by worldwide standards, but the country’s biggest such figure in 21 months.
“A lack of direction is expected with a limited nu
