(Bloomberg) — Australia will allow double-vaccinated visa holders to enter the country from Feb. 21, ending about two years of strict international border controls. German officials will discuss gradually easing their restrictions.
Hong Kong reported a record of over 600 infections, putting pressure on the government to ramp up restrictions.
China locked down a city of 3.6 million people, and a top epidemiologist said the country has no plans to adjust its zero-Covid policy. Beijing reported new infections among arrivals for the Winter Olympics.
Canada’s capital Ottawa declared a state of emergency as police struggled to rein in protests, largely among truckers, against vaccine mandates. Australia has also seen demonstrations against vaccine requirements ahead of the return of federal parliament on Tuesday.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 395 million; deaths pass 5.7 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 10.2 billion shots administered
- Beijing Olympics locks out omicron but internet is open
- Covid rebellion brews in Canada, sending warning across globe
- Is Covid becoming endemic? What would that mean?: QuickTake
Hong Kong to Discuss Restrictions as Cases Surge (6:09 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong reported a record 614 coronavirus coronavirus infections. Cases are doubling every three days, putting pressure on the government to ramp up restrictions as it holds fast to zero-Covid policy.
Authorities have pinned the ballooning rate on gatherings during last week’s Lunar New Year. About 600 preliminary positive cases have been detected.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam is set to discuss further restrictions at an Executive Council meeting on Tuesday. Local media report potential measures include limiting numbers at restaurants, closing some businesses like hair salons, and placing restrictions on religious venues.
The government may also lower the public gathering limit to two people in a return to one of Hong Kong’s strictest anti-virus measures in 2020.
Germany Discusses Gradual Easing of Restrictions (4:49 p.m. HK)
Germany’s health minister expects Covid restrictions to be eased “long before Easter.” A gradual lifting of measures may be discussed at a summit between the state and federal governments on Feb. 16, Karl Lauterbach said on Bild TV late Sunday.
The “specter” of Covid may have subsided by the fall, but only if a vaccination mandate is introduced, he said. Germany’s outbreak is at record levels, with more than 1,400 infections per 100,000 people over the past seven days.
Indonesia Tightens Restrictions in Java, Bali (1:53 p.m. HK)
Indonesia has tightened mobility restrictions in Jakarta, Bandung and Bali to the second-highest level as omicron cases continue to spread rapidly. The restrictions, which include limiting capacity at public places and reducing operating hours for cafes and restaurants, will be implemented for one week, according to Luhut Panjaitan, a cabinet minister who oversees the nation’s pandemic response in Java and Bali.
Australia to Reopen for Visa Holders (11:38 a.m. HK)
Australia will allow double-vaccinated visa holders to enter the country from Feb. 21, ending around two years of strict international border controls introduced to stem the spread of Covid-19.
The announcement is the final step in a gradual unwinding of international border restrictions, which kicked off in November. Still, Western Australia remains closed to the rest of the country, after delaying its domestic border reopening.
The decision to allow vaccinated international arrivals comes as Covid infections, hospitalizations and intensive care admissions trend down in most parts of the country.
Chinese City Locked Down (10:58 a.m. HK)
A southwestern Chinese border city was locked down after mass testing identified nearly 100 people with Covid, yet another outbreak that’s extending the country’s protracted battle to bring its Covid infections back to zero.
A total of 98 people tested positive on Sunday in Baise, a city of 3.6 million people next to Vietnam in the southwestern Chinese province of Guangxi. Travel was banned within the city and to the rest of China to prevent the virus from spreading further. All residents were asked to stay at home.
China has no plans to adjust its zero-Covid-tolerance policy for the time being, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Global Times in an interview.
Protesters Cause Chaos in Australian Capital (10:46 a.m. HK)
A group of anti-vaccination demonstrators and conspiracy theorists have blocked roads and targeted businesses in the Australian capital of Canberra ahead of the return of federal parliament on Tuesday.
Hundreds of cars and trucks waving Australian flags, military insignia and campaign banners for former U.S. President Donald Trump descended on the city over the past week to call for the end to vaccination requirements in businesses and places of employment.
The protests in Canberra have echoed similar demonstrations in the Canadian capital Ottawa.
Philippines Starts Vaccinating Kids (10:37 a.m. HK)
The Philippines started giving Covid-19 shots to children aged 5 to 11, after receiving 780,000 Pfizer doses last week. The Southeast Asian nation aims to inoculate 15.5 million from this age group, as economic managers see allowing more activities for kids and their families as key to reviving consumer demand.
Korea Says Cases Could Reach 170,000 (10:26 a.m. HK)
South Korea’s daily cases could increase to up to 130,000-170,000 at the end of February with the surge of the omicron variant, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The numbers are based on forecast modeling conducted by experts.
President Moon Jae-in said it’s a serious situation as it’s difficult to predict how much the number of confirmed cases will increase and when the peak will be. But he said there is no need to be too concerned about the current situation. South Korea confirmed 35,286 more cases on Monday.
Thai Ministry to Propose More Easing: Post (9:04 a.m. HK)
Thailand’s Health Ministry will propose further easing of containment measures to the nation’s main virus task force later this week, the Bangkok Post reported, citing Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the ministry’s Department of Disease Control.
The ministry will encourage people to live with the virus rather than cope with lockdowns, the newspaper reported. Opas didn’t give details of measures that may be relaxed.
Ottawa Declares Emergency as Protests Intensify (5 p.m. NY)
Canada’s capital declared a state of emergency Sunday as police struggled to rein in ongoing protests against vaccine mandates.
The demonstrations started in reaction to Canadian and U.S. laws that went into effect in January, requiring truckers crossing the border to be fully vaccinated. They have since morphed into a rally against Covid restrictions more broadly.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, who declared the emergency, said in a statement that the increasingly rowdy demonstrations posed a “serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents.”
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