(Bloomberg) — France is imposing tougher rules on people arriving from the U.K., including a requirement to self-isolate, to slow the spread of Covid-19’s omicron variant. The measures are introduced after new daily cases in the U.K. rose to a record.
The rise in infections is hitting economic activity across the euro area. Restrictions in the services sector halted recovery in Germany, the region’s biggest economy.
New Zealand and Indonesia reporter their first omicron cases. Singapore eased some of its quarantine requirements to woo back travelers.
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France Restricts Travel From U.K. (5:35 p.m. HK)
France will reduce the validity of Covid-19 tests to 24 hours from 48 hours for visitors from the U.K. as part of measures set to take effect midnight Friday, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said. The rule will apply to all arrivals, including those who are fully vaccinated. People traveling to France from the U.K. will also have to self-isolate for seven days. This restriction can be lifted after 48 hours on proof of a negative test.
Justifications for coming to France will be limited, with all non-essential tourist and business travel to France to be barred. French citizens and their families as well as residents can return home. The French government called on people planning on visiting the U.K. to delay their trips.
Among other European countries introducing curbs, Sweden will ask travelers from other Nordic countries to show a vaccine certificate upon entering the country starting next Tuesday, according to Lena Hallengren, the minister for health and social affairs. From Dec. 21, the Swedish government will introduce requirements for proof of a vaccine upon entry from all European Economic Area countries. Existing Covid pass regulations in Sweden had excluded the Nordic region.
Singapore Eases Quarantine Rules (5:25 p.m. HK)
Hotel guests in Singapore who test positive for Covid-19 will now be allowed to self-isolate in their rooms from Dec. 20 instead of having to stay in dedicated facilities, as the city-state continues to ease rules to woo back travelers.
Those who test positive or are identified as close contacts with those infected with the virus will be required to stay in their hotel rooms for 10 days if fully vaccinated, or 14 days otherwise, the Singapore Tourism Board said Thursday. The revised protocol won’t apply to cases with the omicron variant, who will still have to stay in a designated facility.
Resurgent Virus Dents Euro Area Activity (5:00 p.m. HK)
Euro-area economic activity slowed as rising coronavirus cases hurt service providers to offset an improvement in manufacturing output. Inflation pressure eased a little.
A composite gauge for both sectors fell to 53.4 in December from 55.4 the previous month, according to a survey of purchasing managers by IHS Markit published Thursday. Services activity grew at its weakest since April as people avoided tourism and other recreation.
In Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, the pandemic brought the recovery to a halt as restrictions rippled through the services sector.
Malaysia Requires Booster for Sinovac (3:20 p.m. HK)
Malaysia has ruled that Sinovac vaccine recipients need to take a booster shot by February to retain their fully vaccinated status and the privileges that come with it.
Individuals aged 60 and above will also need to get their third shot by February to prevent being stripped of their fully vaccinated status, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in a statement Thursday. This is in line with the World Health Organization’s recommendations, he added.
Thailand Poised to Reach 100 Million Shots (3:08 p.m. HK)
Thailand is on course to surpass its goal of administering 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines this year, boosting its defense against the omicron variant as it weighs further easing of curbs on tourists.
A total of 98.4 million shots were administered as of Thursday, with 61% of the nation’s 72 million population completing a two-dose regime, data from the Health Ministry showed. An estimated 4.4 million booster doses have been given as well after the government accelerated third doses in the wake of the discovery of the omicron strain.
Omicron Shield Rises on Shots, Prior Infection (2:24 p.m. HK)
A two-dose course of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 shot as well as a previous infection with the disease may give stronger protection against the omicron variant, scientists from the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa said.
Laboratory experiments with blood plasma led them to estimate that there would be 73% protection against symptomatic disease from omicron and 95% against severe infections for those who had been vaccinated and previously infected, the scientists said in a preprint released on Wednesday. A preprint has not been peer reviewed.
New Zealand Reports First Case of Omicron (11:57 a.m. HK)
The case was found in managed isolation in Christchurch, New Zealand Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told reporters. The person arrived on a flight from Germany to Auckland, then traveled to Christchurch on a chartered flight.
Separately, New Zealand has provisionally approved the use of the Pfizer Inc. Covid-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11. The government said earlier that 90% of people aged 12 and over are now fully vaccinated.
Australian State Sets Record as Rules Eased (11:01 a.m. HK)
New South Wales, Australia’s most-populous state, reported a daily record of 1,742 Covid-19 cases Thursday, as the government loosens long-running restrictions ahead of the summer holiday period.
The state government on Wednesday removed restrictions on unvaccinated people’s movements and cut the number of places where masks are necessary. It also removed the requirement to check in using a QR code in most venues. The state’s vaccination rate for people 16 and over is 94.8%.
Still, in a entists estimated 35% protection against symptomatic disease and 77% protection against severe infection for those who had only been vaccinated. This still indicates “substantial protection,” they said. The study included 19 participants with an average age of 52 years old.state of more than 8 million people, only 192 people are hospitalized with Covid.
New China Cluster (9:42 a.m. HK)
China reported 70 domestic infections on Thursday. While most of the cases were part of the ongoing flareup across three cities in eastern Zhejiang province, a new cluster is forming in the southern province of Guangdong. Six new cases are in Dongguan city and an asymptomatic one in the nearby provincial capital Guangzhou. Authorities have started mass testing and placed movement restrictions on some neighborhoods. The province also reported China’s second omicron case among those traveling from aboard.
South Korea Cuts Business Hours (9:31 a.m. HK)
South Korea will ban gatherings of five or more people and order eateries and night-time entertainment businesses to close by 9 p.m. as it steps up curbs to fight a record surge in coronavirus cases.
The country will put in place the new social distancing rules from Saturday that run until Jan. 2 as the threat looms of an even higher surge fueled by the omicron variant. Most cases in the recent surge have been linked to people gathering at restaurants, bars and shopping malls, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Thursday. South Korea hit a daily record 7,850 new cases Wednesday.
Morgan Stanley Tells Some to Work From Home (8:04 a.m. HK)
Morgan Stanley has told its New York brokers and wealth management staff to work from home at least until the first week of January, Fox Business’s Charles Gasparino reports in tweet.
Apple Delays Return to Office (5 p.m. NY)
Apple Inc. is delaying its return to the office indefinitely, a response to a resurgence in Covid-19 cases.
The company’s corporate employees will return to offices at a “date yet to be determined,” according to a memo sent by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook on Wednesday. The date had been set for Feb. 1.
Germany Rations Shots (4 p.m. NY)
Germany is rationing Covid-19 vaccines through the rest of the year as the country seeks to implement a widespread booster campaign amid a surprise shortage of shots.
The country has about 3 million doses of the BioNTech SE vaccine and is allotting them for the next three weeks, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said late Wednesday on ZDF television. The country has about 10 million Moderna Inc. shots, which is likely sufficient to cover demand, he said.
Fauci Says Boosters Curb Omicron (11:52 a.m. NY)
Existing vaccine booster shots appear to protect against the omicron variant, and as of now there’s no need to develop specialized shots to guard against it, U.S. health officials say.
Anthony Fauci, who serves as a medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said on a briefing Wednesday that studies so far show strong antibody responses from existing boosters, though protections against omicron are weaker with just two doses.
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