Hong Kong will require at least one vaccine dose against Covid-19 to enter restaurants, schools, public leisure facilities and recreational venues before the Lunar New Year in a bid to expand the city-state’s vaccine bubble.
Cinemas, gyms, indoor sports grounds, public libraries, museums and concert halls are included in the expanded vaccine bubble, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said at a press briefing on Friday. Staff at these venues will also be required to get vaccinated, with exemptions made for those with a certified medical condition.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam confirmed the new rules would begin 24 February during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Under the new arrangement more venues will require people to receive at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccination before entering.
A sign is seen inside a quarantine hotel in Hong Kong. Photograph: Tyrone Siu/Reuters
Prof Chan said:
The Government is progressively expanding the vaccine bubble to more places now.
We are not saying that one dose of vaccination is enough, but we also have to be practical while we want to implement this measure, the vaccine bubble, to all these scheduled premises under Cap 599 as soon as possible.”
Chan explained that the vaccine bubble scope will be expanded before Chinese New Year because people will attend gatherings during the festival. As such, she urged citizens to maintain awareness of epidemic prevention.
“We want to appeal to people to be very, very vigilant about their own daily activities and also mask-wearing, and secondly, be aware of the notices that the Government is sending out so that they know whether they are one of the people who require compulsory testing or not.”
In Thailand the Omicron situation continues to worsen.
The government is urging people to work from home for two weeks, and the health ministry is proposing to continue suspending quarantine-free travel through the end of January, local media report.
The Public Health Ministry will propose that the government continue the suspension of the Test & Go entry programme for air travellers, in light of the continuing spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday.
Anutin said he supported the recommendation made by health experts on Monday and will ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to continue the suspension of the one-night quarantine scheme until the end of this month, the Bangkok Post reports.
We have decided to propose that the reopening of Test & Go should be deferred for the safety of the people in this country,” Anutin said.
No applications for entry to Thailand under the Test & Go scheme have been accepted since 11 December. Entry is only through the Phuket Sandbox, and its quarantine system, due to fears over the rising number of Omicron-variant Covid-19 cases worldwide.
The CCSA is scheduled to review the suspension of Test & Go at its meeting on Tuesday.
A further 3,091 coronavirus cases and 12 deaths were recorded on Monday.
The number of new infections in Tokyo and other parts of Japan has edged up in recent days, although the numbers pale beside those being reported in the US, Britain and parts of Europe.
They are also lower than those that have previously prompted the government to call states of emergency that include restrictions on restaurant and bar opening hours.
There is concern, however, over a sharp rise in cases in Okinawa, home to more than half the 47,000 US troops in Japan. The prefecture’s government reported 130 new cases on Monday, the first time they had exceeded 100 since late September, the Kyodo news agency said.
Local officials attributed the rise in cases among the civilian community to recent outbreaks at US military bases, according to Kyodo, including a record 235 new cases among American servicemen and women reported on New Year’s Day.
US military forces on the island have been criticised for sharing only patchy information about the outbreaks, while residents have complained that unmasked troops are still leaving their bases and mingling with local people.
The Okinawa governor, Denny Tamaki, blamed the US military for allowing the Omicron variant to spill over into the civilian population.
I am outraged because the sharp increase in the number of infections among US military personnel suggests that their management is insufficient,” Tamaki told reporters at the weekend.
Tokyo has reported more than 100 new cases of Covid-19 for the first time in almost three months, while the governor of the southern Japanese island of Okinawa has blasted the US military for failing to contain a recent outbreak that has since spread to the civilian community.
Tokyo confirmed 103 new infections on Monday – up from 84 the previous day – amid concern that the highly transmissible Omicron variant is fuelling a rebound in cases in the Japanese capital. After infections soared to over 5,000 a day in the summer, new cases had stayed below 100 since 9 October.
The city’s governor, Yuriko Koike said 25 people had been confirmed to be infected with the Omicron strain, including 11 who had no recent history of overseas travel.
Japan imposed strict border control measures late last year after Omicron was first identified in South Africa.
A woman wears a face mask during a visit to the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa ahead of the upcoming New Year. Photograph: Rodrigo Reyes Marin/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock
US president Joe Biden has urged Americans to get vaccinated, describing the process as “your patriotic duty” in a series of tweets on Monday.
“Get vaccinated and get boosted,” the president said.
“It’s free. It’s convenient. It saves lives. And it’s your patriotic duty.”
President Biden (@POTUS)
Get vaccinated and get boosted.
It’s free. It’s convenient. It saves lives. And it’s your patriotic duty.
China is reporting 175 new coronavirus cases for Monday, up from 161 a day earlier, the country’s health authority said on Tuesday.
Of the new infections, 108 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, down from 101 a day earlier.
Most of the new local cases were in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, where the capital city Xian has been under a strict nearly two-week lockdown.
Zhejiang and Henan provinces also reported new cases.
China reported 54 new asymptomatic cases, which it classifies separately from confirmed cases, compared with 35 a day earlier.
There were no new fatalities, leaving the death toll unchanged at 4,636. Mainland China had 102,841 confirmed cases as of Monday.
Thousands of US schools delayed a scheduled return to classrooms following the holiday break or switched to remote learning as the Omicron variant pushes Covid-19 cases to record levels.
Cities including Milwaukee, Cleveland and Detroit either implemented online instruction or cancelled school altogether this week for tens of thousands of students, citing both staff shortages and Omicron concerns.
In New Jersey, which has seen some of the highest case rates in recent weeks, most urban school districts have implemented virtual classes to start the new year, including Newark, the state’s biggest city.
Nationally, there are more than 2,750 school closures so far this week, according to Burbio, a website that tracks school disruptions, Reuters reports.
A sign outside of Midtown High School in Atlanta, Georgia, encourages students and staff to wear masks while students enter remote learning for a week as cases of the Omicron variant continue to surge. Photograph: Alyssa Pointer/Reuters
Hello it’s Samantha Lock back with you on the blog reporting from sunny Sydney.
Let’s kick off with some news from China.
The city of Yuzhou in China’s Henan Province entered lockdown Monday night after three asymptomatic Covid cases were detected on Sunday, local media reports.
More than 1 million citizens are now required to stay at home while public transportation, in-person education and public gatherings have been suspended.
The city’s downtown area was reportedly locked down with all personnel unable to enter or exit the area.
Shops and supermarkets have been ordered to suspend all business activities except “guaranteeing the supply of daily life materials”, according to a government notice.
Israel is also set to allow foreigners with presumed Covid-19 immunity to enter from medium-risk countries from 9 January, the health ministry has said.
Foreign travellers from 199 “orange” countries will be admitted if they can prove they are vaccinated or have recovered from the virus.
Here’s a quick rundown of the day’s key developments:
Thousands of US schools delayed a scheduled return to classrooms following the holiday break or switched to remote learning as the Omicron variant pushes Covid-19 cases to record levels.
Mozambique’s president, Filipe Nyusi, and his wife, Isaura, have tested positive for Covid-19 and are isolating, the president’s office said on Monday.
The UK reported 157,758 new Covid cases today and 42 additional deaths.Cases rose by 50% between 28 December and 3 January compared with the week before. Deaths rose 17% during the same period compared with the previous seven days.
Multiple NHS trusts have declared “critical incidents” amid soaring staff absences caused by Covid. Parts of the health service are in “crisis”, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation said.
Canada’s most populous province of Ontario announced new restrictions – including closing down schools and shops operating at 50% capacity – as officials warned of a “tsunami” of new Covid cases.
The US food and drug administration (FDA) has authorised the use of a third dose of Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid vaccine for children aged 12 to 15.
Starbucks will require its US workers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or undergo weekly testing in order to comply with new federal mandates, the company said in an update sent to employees on Monday.
India vaccinated over 3.8 million 15- to 18-year-olds on Monday as the country expanded its vaccination drive.
The Omicron variant is better at circumventing vaccinated people’s immunity than the Delta variant, but is very likely to be milder, according to a Danish study.
Israel will allow foreigners with presumed Covid-19 immunity to enter from medium-risk countries from 9 January, the health ministry said on Monday.
