U.S. Commerce chief says too soon to tell if Omicron will impact supply chains

DETROIT (Reuters) -U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Monday that it is too soon to tell if the new COVID-19 variant Omicron will have any impact on global supply chains.

Raimondo said at a roundtable on semiconductor chips the COVID-19 pandemic "has had a significant impact on the supply chain." She added many COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia have forced the closure of manufacturing facilities at times.

"Due to the vaccinations I think we are probably beyond all that but we have to continue with our caution," Raimondo said at a roundtable.

Those disruptions in Asia have harmed U.S. auto production at times this year and other products.

The Omicron variant https://www.reuters.com/world/spread-omicron-variant-forces-nations-rethink-plans-global-travel-2021-11-29 of the coronavirus carries a very high global risk of surges, the WHO warned on Monday, as more countries reported cases and some others closed their borders.

(Reporting by David Shepardson)

By David Shepardson