(Bloomberg) — Hong Kong’s leader said a growing outbreak of the omicron variant has “overwhelmed” the city’s government, but denied she planned to impose a total lockdown like those in mainland Chinese cities. The city is set to report about 1,510 confirmed cases Tuesday and another 5,400 preliminary cases, local media said, with constrained testing capacity slowing verification of daily numbers.
“We cannot surrender to the virus,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam told a regular news briefing. “This is not an option.”
Microsoft Corp. told many U.S. employees to begin returning to their offices starting Feb. 28 in a fresh attempt to get operations back to normal as Covid cases abate. Demonstrators halted traffic at two major border crossings in Western Canada and some vowed to stay even as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used a law giving his government emergency powers to end blockades.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 413.5 million; deaths top 5.8 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 10.4 billion doses administered
- Here’s what the pandemic has in store for the world next
- Asian airlines want governments to end travel restrictions
- What experts know about children and Covid: QuickTake
Canada Protesters Defy Trudeau’s Emergency Powers (2 p.m. HK)
Demonstrators against vaccine mandates halted traffic at two major border crossings in Western Canada and some vowed to stay even as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used a law giving his government emergency powers to end blockades.
The main border posts in Alberta and Manitoba were closed Monday, with commercial traffic to the U.S. blocked by semi-trailers and farm equipment driven there by people opposed to Covid-19 vaccine rules.
Djokovic Will Sacrifice Trophies If Told To Get Vaccine (1:30 p.m. HK)
Tennis star Novak Djokovic told the BBC that he would rather miss out on tennis trophies than be forced to get a Covid vaccine.
Djokovic said in the interview that he was not against vaccinations but supported individuals’ rights to choose, and would rather miss competitions such as Wimbledon and the French Open than alter his stance on the vaccine.
Djokovic was deported from Australia last month after the government canceled the unvaccinated player’s visa.
Hong Kong ‘Overwhelmed’ by Omicron Outbreak (10 a.m. HK)
Hong Kong’s leader said a growing outbreak of the omicron variant has overwhelmed the city’s government, even as she pledged to continue trying to bring Covid cases back down to zero.
“The scale and speed of the spread of the virus has overwhelmed our capacity in the fight against the pandemic,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday at a regular news briefing. “The situation is very serious.” Still, Lam said she had no plans for full lockdown like those imposed on mainland cities.
Lam added city officials “have the will” to maintain a “dynamic zero” strategy of no infections as it struggles to contain a growing outbreak of the omicron variant. Lam said she had asked mainland China for help with testing. “We cannot surrender to the virus,” Lam said. “This is not an option.”
The city is set to report about 1,510 confirmed cases Tuesday and another 5,400 preliminary cases, local media said, with constrained testing capacity slowing verification of daily numbers. Hong Kong Chief Secretary John Lee is among those in self-isolation after his domestic helper tested preliminary positive Tuesday.
One Chinese City Locks Down, Another Lifts (9:45 a.m. HK)
China continues to battle Covid flareups as Manzhouli, a city of 300,000 people in Inner Mongolia bordering Russia, said it would enter lockdown after five people tested positive for Covid.
Suzhou, a city near Shanghai in eastern China, also found 12 Covid infections, mostly at the city’s industrial park. A wafer factory run by Taiwan’s United Microelectronics Corp. had to suspend production in the city after employees tested positive.
Meanwhile, the southwestern border city of Baise started to lift lockdown restrictions Tuesday after its omicron-led cluster outbreak appeared to come under control. The city of 3.6 million residents near Vietnam entered lockdown last week. China reported 47 Covid infections overall on Tuesday, with 28 of them in the northeastern coastal city of Huludao.
Biden’s Global Vaccine Push Falters (9:20 a.m. HK)
U.S. President Joe Biden’s effort to vaccinate the world against Covid-19 is falling short, with the globe not on pace to meet a 2021 goal of vaccinating 70% of the world population by later this year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged at a virtual meeting with other countries. Only about 54% of the global population is vaccinated so far.
Singapore Eyes Easing, Commits to Reopening (8:24 a.m. HK)
Singapore will be able to ease virus restrictions more once the current omicron wave has peaked and starts to subside, health minister Ong Ye Kung said Monday in a response to questions in parliament. Hospital bed numbers are probably the biggest constraint now, he said, adding that the healthcare system is able to handle the current wave.
Separately, the South East Asian nation remains committed to reopening its borders and extending its vaccinated travel lane arrangements with other countries, deputy prime minister Heng Swee Keat said Monday at the Singapore Airshow.
Japan to Ease Business Travel Requirements (7:30 a.m. HK)
Japan’s government will ease requirements for business travelers to the country, no longer requiring them to submit a detailed itinerary of their trip prior to arrival, the Nikkei reported. The requirement, which was in place before the current border controls that effectively halted business travel were implemented, won’t be reinstated after the curbs are eased from March. The move was among measures that companies had criticized for adding excessive paperwork.
Most Japanese want to keep strict virus border controls, according to a poll, even as the country prepares to ease one of the most stringent policies in the developed world.
Separately, the government is considering extending Covid-19 measures in Osaka and some other prefectures beyond Feb. 20 when they are set to expire, broadcaster NHK reported. However, it is considering lifting measures for some areas, including Okinawa, where new Covid cases have eased.
Microsoft Returning to Office on Feb. 28 (7:20 a.m. HK)
Microsoft Corp. told many U.S. employees to begin returning to their offices starting Feb. 28, making a fresh attempt to get the software maker’s operations back to normal as Covid-19 cases abate.
In September, Microsoft scrapped a goal of reopening on Oct. 4 because Covid-19’s delta variant was raging. That was followed by the even-more-contagious omicron variant.
The Redmond, Washington-based company, which has said it will remain a flexible workplace, has told employees that they’ll be able to work from home up to half the week without discussing it with managers.
California to Keep School Mask Mandate For Now (6 a.m. HK)
California plans to keep its mask mandate for schools in place for now, but officials said they may soon announce a timeline for ending the requirement. The most-populous state will reassess the mandate on Feb. 28 and could announce then when it will be lifted.
“Masking requirements were never put in place to be there forever,” Mark Ghaly, California’s secretary of health and human services, said at a briefing. “It’s not a question of if — it’s a question of when.”
Pernod Ricard Asks H.K. Execs to Relocate (5:45 a.m. HK)
Pernod Ricard has asked top executives from its Hong Kong office to relocate temporarily to avoid strict Covid-19 curbs, as China prepares to take a greater role in the city’s response to the Omicron wave, the Financial Times reported. Dubai is being considered as one temporary solution.
Indonesia May Lift All Quarantine Requirements (4:30 a.m. HK)
Indonesia is considering lifting all quarantine requirements for inbound travelers in April, as Covid-19 hospitalizations and fatality rates remain under control despite a resurgence in cases.
In the mean time, the required quarantine period is reduced to three days from five for incoming travelers who have received a third dose of vaccines starting next week, Luhut Panjaitan, the cabinet minister in charge of the pandemic response in Java and Bali, said in his weekly briefing on Monday. PCR testing requirement will remain in place for those arriving travelers.
CDC Raises Travel Alert for South Korea (3:20 p.m. NY)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised its travel health advisory on South Korea to “very high.”
“If you must travel to South Korea, make sure you are vaccinated and up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines before travel,” the agency said on its website,
Washington to Lift Mask Mandate, Mayor Says (12:01 p.m. NY)
Washington will lift its mask mandate in certain settings beginning March 1, Mayor Muriel Bowser said. The nation’s capital will no longer require face coverings in restaurants, bars, gyms and similar indoor venues. However, masks still will be required in schools, health-care facilities and on public transit.
Italy’s Mandatory Vaccination Starts Tuesday (11:50 a.m. NY)
Italy’s vaccination mandate for about 8.8 million workers over 50 will kick off on Tuesday. Workers in the private and public sector will be required to show their so-called super green pass to prove their vaccination, or face fines for up to 1,500 euros ($1,695). Until Monday, proof of a negative test was enough to enter workplaces. More than 91% of people over 50 are partly vaccinated, leaving more than 1 million of the 50-59 age group without any vaccination.
Ontario Plans to Drop Restrictions Next Month (9:50 a.m. NY)
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Canada’s largest province will drop many of its pandemic-fighting measures next month as cases and hospitalizations decline.
Proof-of-vaccination requirements and capacity limits in indoor public settings are among the measures that will be dropped as of March 1 if the health-system continues to improve, Ford said Monday. Masking requirements will remain in place, the province said.
The move to end the measures comes against a backdrop of protests, initially against Covid-19 vaccine mandates, that have spread across Canada and hit Ontario especially hard. Demonstrations have shut down parts of Canada’s capital city of Ottawa for more than two weeks, and protesters had blockaded a bridge that serves as the country’s largest trade artery with the U.S. for about a week through yesterday.
U.K. to Give Details on Vaccinations for Kids (7:05 a.m. NY)
The U.K. will set out “more details” on its vaccination strategy for 5-to-11 year-olds next week, as part of its planned “Living with Covid” strategy, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman, Max Blain, told reporters on Monday.
At present, only children in clinical risk groups in that age bracket are entitled to vaccination, following advice in December from the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. The JCVI has since provided the government with advice for those not at risk, which ministers are now considering, Blain said.
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