Covid-19 Restrictions updates - World-wide

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Extra vaccine mandates come into force in New York City

Vaccines are available to all New York residents aged five and older

New Covid-19 vaccine requirements have come into force in New York City, as infections continue to surge fuelled by the Omicron variant of the virus.

Children aged 12 and over are required to show proof of full vaccination to access indoor dining areas and many extra-curricular school activities.

The city is also introducing a vaccine mandate for private-sector workers, the first in the US to take such an action.

Jabs are already mandatory for state employees.

The measures were announced earlier this month by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who mentioned the threat posed by Omicron, which appears to be more contagious but milder than other variants.
Cases of Covid-19 have soared in the city and across the country in recent weeks.

From Monday:

• Workers are required to show they have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, a requirement that affects around 184,000 private businesses
• They will then be given 45 days to show proof of their second dose
• Children aged 12 and over must show proof of full vaccination to enter venues including restaurants, cafeterias, coffee shops, fast food restaurants, gyms, fitness centres, pools and theatres

Currently, children aged five to 11 have to prove they have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine to enter those venues. From 29 January, they will also be required to show proof of full vaccination.

Vaccines are available to all residents aged five and older. According to official data, 71.5% of the city's population have been fully vaccinated, but 20% have not yet received a single dose.

The measures come as the city is planning a scaled back New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, with everyone required to wear face masks and show proof of full vaccination.

Fewer people will be allowed in viewing areas to allow for social distancing. Normally, the event hosts approximately 58,000 people in viewing areas, according to local officials. But this year there will be around 15,000 people only.

 

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France announces tighter Covid restrictions amid Omicron surge

France has announced tighter Covid restrictions amid concerns over the Omicron variant.

From 3 January, remote working will become compulsory for those who can and public gatherings will be limited to 2,000 people for indoor events.

The news comes as France recorded more than 100,000 new infections on Saturday - the highest number reported in the country since the pandemic began.

But the prime minister stopped short of implementing a New Year's Eve curfew.
Jean Castex told reporters the pandemic felt "like a film without an ending" as he unveiled the new measures at a news conference following a crisis cabinet meeting.


Health minister Olivier Véran said coronavirus infections were doubling every two days, warning of a "mega wave" of new cases.

The new rules also include limits on outdoor public gatherings - which will be restricted to 5,000 people - and a ban on eating and drinking on long distance transport.

Nightclubs will remain closed until further notice and cafés and bars will be able to provide table service only. Employees who work from home will have to do so at least three days a week. Mask-wearing will become compulsory in city centres.

The government is also shortening the length of time between booster shots from four months after the last vaccination to three months.

France's planned vaccine pass - which will require proof of vaccination, not just a negative test, to enter public spaces - will come into effect from January 15, if parliament approves a draft bill.

But Mr Castex stopped short of introducing a full lockdown or New Year's Eve curfew. Schools will also reopen as planned on 3 January.

According to the country's coronavirus dashboard, France currently has an average of more than 70,000 new daily infections.

On Monday, more than 1,600 new hospitalisations were recorded, bringing the total number of people in hospital as a result of Covid-19 to 17,000, according to data from France's public health authority.
Across the continent, additional restrictions were announced in Germany and Greece as governments seek to stem the tide of positive cases.

Gatherings in Germany will be restricted in size from 27 December and gyms, swimming pools, nightclubs and cinemas will be closed to the public in several states. Private gatherings of vaccinated people will also be limited to a maximum of 10.

From 3 January, the Greek government will require bars and restaurants to close by midnight and tables will be limited to six customers. Venues will not allowed to cater for standing customers, and if they do not comply, music will be banned in those establishments, the Reuters news agency reported.

In contrast, in the UK, the Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said no further Covid restrictions will be implemented in England before the new year. But he said people should "remain cautious" and celebrate outside on New Year's Eve if possible.

Both England and Scotland reported record cases over Christmas.

Covid: France tightens restrictions amid Omicron surge

Germany and Greece also toughen measures in a bid to tackle infections amid fears about Omicron.

www.bbc.com

 

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Major change in US COVID-19 isolation guidelines

"Omicron is a source of concern, but it should not be a source of panic," says US President Joe Biden

By AFP
December 28, 2021

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revised isolation guidelines for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.
WASHINGTON: US health authorities on Monday halved the recommended isolation time for people with asymptomatic COVID-19, as President Joe Biden warned Americans not to panic amid a surge of cases threatening wider social disruption.
Speaking about the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, Biden said some US hospitals could be "overrun," but the country is generally well prepared to meet the latest surge.

The coronavirus continued to punch holes in airlines’ busy Christmas holiday schedules Monday, with multiple airlines saying spikes in cases of the Omicron variant have caused staffing shortages.

R
The CDC recommendations, which cut isolation for asymptomatic cases from 10 to five days, open the way for people to return to work sooner -- minimizing the prospect of mass labour shortages in key parts of the economy.


The recommendations, which are non-binding but closely followed by US businesses and policymakers, further suggest that the five-day isolation period be "followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others."

The agency said the new guidelines were "motivated by science," which had demonstrated that the majority of COVID-19 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally one to two days prior to the onset of symptoms and in the two to three days after.

In a virtual meeting hosted by the White House with several state governors and top health advisors, Biden stressed the Omicron variant would not have the same impact as the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 or the Delta surge this year.

"Omicron is a source of concern, but it should not be a source of panic," he said.

Testing is more widely available and mass vaccinations mean that for many people infections do not lead to serious illness.

‘More work to do’

With Omicron now the country’s dominant strain, more than 200,000 daily cases were recorded over the past two days, quickly approaching records set last January.

Biden acknowledged that despite ramping up testing capacity, it’s "clearly not enough."

"Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do," he said.

In addition to expanding free testing sites, the administration will soon send 500 million at-home test kits to Americans, Biden said.

But "if we’d known, we would have gone harder, quicker," Biden said. "We have to do more."

The United States has recorded the world’s highest national pandemic toll, with more than 816,000 recorded Covid deaths and 52 million cases.

International comparisons are skewed by differences in the accuracy of governments’ reporting methods, while on a per capita basis the US death rate is further down the list.

Pandemic politics

Hampering the US response has been fierce political resistance to vaccines that were developed at record speed in 2020.

Many Republicans, in particular, are resisting the Biden administration’s push to mandate the shots in large businesses. There has also been reluctance, again mostly in Republican circles, to get booster shots.
One pro-vaccine bastion is New York, where some of the toughest mandates in the country took effect Monday.

The rules, ordered by outgoing Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio, require all private sector employees to get vaccinated.

Proof of full vaccination is also required for anyone aged 12 and up to eat at indoor restaurants or enter other public venues, like gyms and movie theatres. Children aged five to 11 will have to show proof of one vaccine dose.

De Blasio called it a "historic day for New York City."

Despite the city-wide precautions, tech giant Apple restricted its New York stores to pick-up only services over the infection surge, closing its doors to browsers.

Touching on possible further mandates, lead White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci suggested a vaccine requirement for domestic air travel might be necessary.

"I think that’s something that seriously should be considered," he told MSNBC.

 

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US CDC adds Sweden, Malta and Moldova to high risk travel list

From CNN’s Forrest Brown

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added three European destinations to its highest-risk category for travel on Tuesday, including Sweden.
In its weekly update of Covid-19 travel advisories, the CDC also added Malta and Moldova to its "Level 4: Covid-19 Very High" category.

The CDC places a destination at Level 4 when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the past 28 days.
Last week, the CDC added eight destinations to the Level 4 category.

Separately on Tuesday, President Biden revoked a proclamation put in place last month that enacted travel restrictions on eight southern African nations, including South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

 

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French Health Minister Olivier Véran warned that "everything suggests" France could see as many as 250,000 daily cases by the start of January.
The French Hospital Federation has said that the "most difficult weeks are yet to come".

Prime Minister Jean Castex announced new restrictions earlier this week. The country's booster rollout has ramped up, with more than 23 million people having received a booster to date.
A number of other European countries also reported record daily cases on Tuesday:

• Infections in Italy topped 78,000 cases, hitting a new record since the start of the pandemic. It also recorded 202 deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 136,753
• Portugal recorded 17,172 new cases
• Greece: Health Minister Thanos Plevris called for calm after the country reported 21,657 cases
• Health authorities in England reported a record 117,093 cases. Full UK-wide Covid data has been unavailable over the Christmas period

In England, pharmacists are warning of patchy supplies of rapid Covid tests following an increase in demand. They say rule changes - meaning people only have to self-isolate for seven days if they test negative on days six and seven - have led to a shortage of lateral flow tests.

Meanwhile, a number of cities - including Paris, London and Berlin - have cancelled official New Year's celebrations. But some governments have been less willing to bring in nationwide restrictions.

People in France and England have been asked to use their common sense, while the Spanish capital Madrid has said it will go ahead with its celebrations with a cap on the number of attendees at Puerta del Sol square.

 

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India imposes stricter rules to prevent Covid-19 spread during festive season

Indian authorities have started to impose stringent rules to prevent mass gatherings at parties and public venues ahead of new year celebrations as the nation sees a spike in Covid-19 infections.

Night curfews have been imposed in all major cities and restaurants ordered to limit customers, officials said, according to Reuters.

Police in the financial capital Mumbai prohibited public gatherings of five or more residents until January 7 as it recorded a sharp jump in cases with 2,510 infections, the highest daily increase since May, local authorities said.

“It is being seen that social gatherings are going on in an unrestricted manner with people flouting all social distancing norms ... we are trying our best to control the spread of the virus,” said Rajesh Tope, the health minister of the western state of Maharashtra of which Mumbai is the capital.

 

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Party-goers urged not to travel across UK as omicron surges

Officials have warned revellers in Scotland and Wales to think twice before travelling to England to ring in the new year, highlighting how the four parts of the UK were again taking starkly different approaches to coronavirus restrictions amid record-high infections and soaring hospitalisations, according to AP.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resisted tightening restrictions in England despite the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, instead of focusing on frequent self-testing and an expanded vaccine booster program to control the spread of infections.

Meanwhile, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which set their own public health rules, imposed new restrictions this week that closed all nightclubs and limited social gatherings.

 

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Dutch police raid Covid rule breaking rave party
Dutch police broke up a rave party in breach of Covid-19 rules that was attended by hundreds in a disused factory, local media reported.


Dozens of police officers entered the makeshift venue in the central town of Rijswijk with hundreds more mobilised to shepherd people away, NOS television said, according to AFP.

Several partygoers were arrested but there was no violence, according to local broadcaster Omroep Gelderland.

The illegal rave attracted people from far and wide with locals saying they had seen vehicles come in from France and Germany but also as far away as Spain and Italy.

 

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Delhi imposes weekend curfew as Covid cases multiply

Authorities in Delhi on Tuesday ordered people to stay home over coming weekends having seen Covid-19 cases quadruple in a week, with its chief minister saying he had caught the virus just a day after he addressed an election rally without a mask.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the most senior elected official of the Indian capital's administration, was one of the 37,379 new Covid-19 cases reported in India in the past 24 hours. Deaths in the past day totalled 124.


The daily case load was the highest since early September and experts suspect the highly transmissible Omicron variant has begun to overtake the Delta variant as the latest wave of coronavirus infection builds in places like Delhi, though authorities say hospitalisations have not spiked yet.

Delhi is reporting more than 4,000 new cases a day, and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said though most patients were showing mild or no symptoms and recovering fast, people will have to stay indoors on Saturday and Sundays to rein in the virus.

 

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Hong Kong bans flights from Pakistan, 7 other countries over Covid surge

Hong Kong announced a two-week ban on incoming flights from eight countries, including the United States and Britain, and tightened restrictions on Wednesday as authorities feared a fifth wave of Covid-19 infections.

The restrictions were announced as health authorities scoured the city for the contacts of a Covid-19 patient, some of whom had been aboard a Royal Caribbean ship that was ordered to cut short its "cruise to nowhere" and return to port.

Incoming flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Britain and the United States, including interchanges, would be banned from Jan. 8 to Jan 21, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam told reporters.

 

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Romania tightens pandemic measures amid Covid-19 surge

Tighter pandemic measures have come into force in Romania as authorities hoped to quell sharply rising coronavirus cases amid concerns that the next virus wave could overstretch the country’s health care system.

The new measures include the mandatory wearing of face masks in outdoor and indoor public spaces, and textile masks have been banned. Non-compliance with mask rules could result in hefty fines of up to 500 euros, authorities said.

Bars and restaurants can stay open until 10pm and operate at 50 per cent or 30pc capacity depending on the area’s infection rate, and Covid-19 passes are required. The same goes for sporting events, gyms, and cinemas. Meanwhile, quarantine and isolation periods have been reduced.

 

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Deltacron

Cyprus reportedly discovers a Covid variant that combines omicron and delta

The strain is being called "deltacron."

www.google.com

 

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UK minister backs reduced Covid isolation period to ease workforce pressures

Reducing the self-isolation period for people who test positive for COVID-19 from seven days to five would help British employers that have been hard hit by absences, Reuters quotes education minister Nadhim Zahawi as saying.

“I would obviously always defer to the scientific advice on this. It would certainly help mitigate some of the pressures on schools, on critical workforce and others,” Zahawi told Sky News after being asked whether he backed a move to five days.

The Omicron variant is still spreading in Britain and many businesses, schools and hospitals are struggling with staff shortages, fuelling calls for the rules on isolation after a positive test to be reduced further.

 

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Restrictions imposed in several states in India as Covid-19 cases rise

India reported 159,632 new Covid-19 cases today, as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to spread rapidly in the country, nudging several state governments to impose fresh restrictions, Reuters reports.

India's richest state, Maharashtra, said on Saturday it would close swimming pools and gyms from Monday while schools and colleges have been closed till Feb 15 after daily cases in the state jumped to over 41,000.

The health ministry reported 327 new deaths, taking the official death toll since the start of the pandemic to 483,790. Total infections stand at 35.52 million.