(Bloomberg) — Hong Kong will ban flights from eight countries, including the U.K. and U.S., and shut bars and gyms for two weeks as the city seeks to contain the spread of the omicron variant.
As the new strain marches across the globe, Singapore’s infection rate rose at the fastest pace in nearly two months, cases is Israel hit a daily record and almost one in three people tested in the Philippines returned a positive result.
Tennis star Novak Djokovic was challenged by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to prove why he can’t be vaccinated after a decision to exempt some Australian Open players from virus rules sparked criticism in host city Melbourne, which endured one of world’s longest lockdowns.
Germany may tighten contact curbs to tackle an expected surge in infections in coming weeks, the health minister said. Regional governments in India are implementing an increasingly strict set of restrictions as the country finds itself in the grip of another wave.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 295 million; deaths exceed 5.45 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.2 billion shots administered
- U.K. risks being consumed by Brexit more than pandemic in 2022
- U.S. schools close in droves as omicron drives staff shortages
- China’s locked down city thrown into chaos after Covid app crash
- France’s Macron says he wants to ‘p— off’ the unvaccinated
U.K. Eases Testing Rules (8:42 a.m. NY)
Testing rules in England will be temporarily relaxed from Jan. 11, the U.K. government said, a move that will free up capacity as new cases remain at record levels.
People who test positive using rapid test kits will no longer need to take so-called PCR tests to confirm the result, the U.K. Health Security Agency said in a statement Wednesday. The suspension of the rules comes amid high prevalence of the virus across the U.K., with over 218,000 cases reported on Tuesday.
Ireland Weighs Scrapping Test (7 a.m. NY)
Vaccinated people arriving into Ireland will no longer have to present a negative test under plans being considered by the government, according to the Irish Times.
Vaccinated people with a valid Digital Covid Certificate or another valid proof of recent infection or vaccination will not need a test to enter the country from Jan. 6, the paper reported. The decision would reverse measures introduced a month ago to stem the spread of omicron.
Helsinki Test Delays Grow (6:42 a.m. NY)
Testing protocols have effectively broken down in Helsinki and its surrounding regions amid a surge in cases. Most people now wait three to four days for a test appointment, rendering track and trace efforts meaningless, Finland’s health authorities said. Meanwhile, half of all PCR tests are coming back positive in the capital area, where omicron accounts for about 90% of confirmed cases.
Djokovic Vaccine Row Escalates (6:17 a.m. NY)
Tennis star Novak Djokovic was challenged by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to prove why he can’t be vaccinated after a decision to exempt some Australian Open players from virus rules sparked criticism in host city Melbourne, which endured one of world’s longest lockdowns.
Djokovic, who has previously criticized vaccine mandates, is among a handful of competitors granted medical exemptions for the tournament, the first of the four annual Grand Slam events, which begins Jan. 17, according to organizers.
Morrison told reporters that Djokovic must “provide acceptable proof” when he arrives in Australia that he cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. “If that evidence is insufficient, then he won’t be treated any different to anyone else and he’ll be on the next plane home,” he said.
Singapore Requires Boosters (6:10 p.m. HK)
Singapore says booster shots will be required to maintain a person’s vaccination status, as the city-state prepares to tackle an expected omicron wave.
From Feb. 14, those aged 18 years and above will be considered fully vaccinated for 270 days after their second jab and should get their booster from around five months later to maintain that status, the health ministry said.
Separately, Singapore will share its Covid statistics with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the U.S. embassy, after the CDC said it had insufficient data on the pandemic in the city-state and urged Americans to avoid traveling there.
Philippines Positivity Rate Soars (5:40 p.m. HK)
Nearly one in three people checked for Covid in the Philippines tested positive, as infections surged. There’s a shortage of certain paracetamol brands in some areas, although alternative analgesics remain available, the pharmaceutical association said.
Israel Daily Cases Hit Record (5:23 p.m. HK)
Israel posted almost 12,000 new infections as omicron rampaged across the country, the highest tally for a single day since the beginning of the pandemic.
The number of serious cases and deaths has not surged, however, corresponding to the experience of other countries. The burden on hospitals could become heavier if the new daily caseload reaches 50,000, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has warned.
H.K. Bans Flights, Closes Bars (5:16 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong is imposing strict new virus control measures for the first time in almost a year as omicron seeps into the community and threatens to spur a winter wave.
The city will ban dining-in after 6 p.m., close venues including bars and gyms, eliminate large-scale events and halt all flights from eight countries, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a briefing on Wednesday. The rules return to social distancing restrictions that were in place a year ago and eased after Chinese New Year in 2021 when infections were ebbing.
The eight countries from which no people or flights will be allowed to arrive for the next two weeks are Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, the U.K. and the U.S., places with the worst omicron spread currently, Lam said.
India Ratchets Up Curbs (4:10 p.m. HK)
Regional governments across India are implementing an increasingly strict set of movement restrictions and partial lockdowns amid rising omicron infections.
Weekend and night curfews were imposed in Delhi after its chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, showed mild symptoms and tested positive. Kejriwal was attending massive election rallies ahead of a number of state polls. Private companies in India’s capital have been ordered to keep premises at half strength, and government employees in non-essential services were asked to work from home as the official national infection level rose above 58,000 cases a day — the highest one-day addition since June.
German Official Expects Curbs (2:55 p.m. HK)
Germany is poised to sharpen contact curbs to tackle an expected surge in infections in coming weeks, even as protests against pandemic measures spread.
“A tightening will unfortunately be needed to face the powerful wave that is bearing down on us,” Health Minister Karl Lauterbach was quoted as saying late on Tuesday by the RND media group. He has repeatedly warned of the threat posed by the omicron strain.
Australia to Fund Some Tests (2:50 p.m. HK)
Australia will fund rapid antigen tests for more than 6 million lower-income earners and welfare recipients as the nation battles a surge of the omicron variant, with more than 64,000 cases recorded on Wednesday.
Federal and state and territory governments will jointly cover the costs of as many as 10 tests from pharmacies over three months for those Australians, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra.
Amid a nationwide shortage and skyrocketing prices at retailers, Morrison also said “price gougers” of rapid antigen tests would be penalized by up to A$66,000 ($47,700) in fines and as many as five years in jail should they charge 120% more than what they paid for them. While the health system was under pressure, case loads in hospitals were generally well within their capacity, he said.
Greenland Introduces Restrictions (2:39 p.m. HK)
Greenland has introduced new virus restrictions after the Arctic island of 56,000 people had a record 198 cases in one day, state broadcaster KNR said.
Corona passports must be presented to attend public events in cities and villages where authorities register contaminations from unknown sources. Gatherings at public indoor venues will also be capped to half of current maximum set by the fire department.
Pakistan Cases Rise (2:34 p.m. HK)
Pakistan reported 898 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the highest in almost three months, according to government data. The South Asian nation’s latest wave is “spreading at a great pace” led by the omicron variant, the nation’s virus center said earlier this week.
CDC Cautions on Singapore Travel (12:12 p.m. HK)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday urged Americans to avoid traveling to Singapore, reclassifying its advisory for the city-state and saying the situation there is now “unknown.”
The change stems from a lack of testing data that the CDC used to get from data aggregator Our World in Data. That information hasn’t been updated since Nov. 8, the CDC said in an email to Bloomberg.
The designation came as a surprise in Singapore, which maintains far stricter testing and social distancing measures than in the U.S., and where the city-state’s Ministry of Health posts detailed virus statistics, in English, on its website every day.
Another Chinese City Locked Down (12:10 p.m. HK)
China’s central province of Henan, which reported four confirmed cases on Wednesday, locked down another city of 7.9 million people after it detected one patient who didn’t show symptoms.
Municipal government of Shangqiu has asked all residents not to leave the city unless necessary, and tightened restrictions including shutting down indoor public venues, according to local authorities. The lockdown order came after the province shut Yuzhou city and its capital Zhengzhou earlier this week. A total of 41 domestically transmitted cases were reported across the country, according to the National Health Commission.
Djokovic Exemption Stokes Anger (11:33 a.m. HK)
A decision to exempt some tennis players at the Australian Open from vaccine rules — including Novak Djokovic — has sparked criticism in host city Melbourne, which endured one of world’s longest lockdowns.
Djokovic, who has previously criticized vaccine mandates, is among a handful of competitors granted medical exemptions for the tournament, the first of the four annual Grand Slam events, which begins Jan. 17, according to organizers.
Medical workers were among those to complain at the decision on social media.
Most in H.K. Get Sinovac Shot (11:27 a.m. HK)
More Hong Kong residents are getting their first vaccinations, though the majority are receiving a Chinese shot that studies have shown gives inadequate protection against the omicron strain.
The city administered about 18,000 initial injections on Tuesday, the most in four months, as a looming expansion of the vaccine mandate led many people to fear losing access to restaurants and leisure facilities. The increase shows progress is being made against vaccine hesitancy in Hong Kong, a problem particularly among the elderly.
Singapore Infection Rate Jumps (9:45 a.m. HK)
Singapore’s week-on-week infection growth rate, a measure tracking the spread in the community, rose above 1 for the first time in almost two months as omicron variant cases in the city-state increased. The rate rose to 1.09 from 0.95 the previous day, the Ministry of Health said late Tuesday on its website.
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