(Bloomberg) — Ireland is dropping most pandemic restrictions, the latest sign that Europe’s approach to Covid-19 is shifting toward something resembling a road back to normal. England, France and Belgium are also easing curbs even as omicron cases remain high.
The U.S. suspended 44 scheduled Chinese airline flights to China in response to restrictions placed on American carriers over Covid-19 testing protocols. Daily Covid cases in Tokyo broke above 10,000 for the first time Saturday, while Taiwan is banning eating on public transportation as infections rise.
Citigroup Inc. asked staffers in the New York City region to begin returning to the office early next month as cases start to recede in the area. It’s extremely unlikely that a person can be reinfected with omicron, at least in the short-term, said Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s top medical adviser.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 346.5 million; deaths pass 5.5 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.87 billion shots administered
- Fresh produce risks getting more scarce with U.S. shot mandate
- Deutsche Bank, Barclays to open London offices to more staff
- Netflix, Peloton bring the pandemic-stock era to shuddering halt
- A vaccine to prevent all Covid is within reach: Lisa Jarvis
Tokyo Daily Cases Break Above 10,000 (5:03 p.m. HK)
Tokyo reported a record number of daily Covid cases Saturday, eclipsing 10,000 infections for the first time as the highly contagious omicron variant begins to spread throughout Japan. The capital reported 11,227 new cases for the day, bringing its 7-day case average to 7,145.
Tokyo and 12 other prefectures are currently under a state of quasi-emergency, a decision that allows local governments to request limits on gatherings and hospitality operations.
Though serious cases remain low, at 12, Tokyo’s Covid bed occupancy rate has been creeping up, reaching 34.3% on Saturday. An occupancy rate of around 50% could prompt the city to return to a full state of emergency for the first time in more than three months.
Hong Kong Cases in Public Housing: SCMP (4:41 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong authorities have uncovered at least 130 Covid-19 cases at a public housing estate, with officials meeting to decide whether to lock down more housing blocks, the South China Morning Post reported.
Infections had been reported in at least two buildings on Kwai Chung Estate, the paper reported, citing people it didn’t identify.
Taiwan Bans Eating on Trains as Cases Rise (4:33 p.m. HK)
Taiwan imposed new Covid-19 controls after the number of local infections surged to their highest since a widespread outbreak last summer.
The government will ban eating on public transportation, including trains and ships, from Sunday, Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai said at a briefing on Saturday. Large-scale religious events where social distancing can’t be guaranteed, such as pilgrimages and processions, will also be barred, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Interior.
Czech Republic Cases Double in a Week (3:07 p.m. HK)
The Czech Republic reported 26,597 new coronavirus cases, a doubling from a week earlier. The country had a record 28,469 Covid-19 infections on Tuesday and the numbers have been near that all week. The nation of 10.7 million had 1,566 patients hospitalized with Covid-19, according to health ministry data.
UN Offers Vaccines to North Korea: Yonhap (11:52 a.m. HK)
The United Nations offered to send 60 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to North Korea in December but it hasn’t yet received an official response, Yonhap News reported. It cited South Korean lawmaker Kim Kyung-hyup, who was briefed by the nation’s National Intelligence Service.
Kim Song, North Korea’s ambassador to the UN, showed interest in the proposal and asked whether the vaccines would be Pfizer or Moderna, according to Yonhap.
North Korea is struggling to inoculate its population. The country was offered about 1.7 million doses of vaccines in July through a Covax vaccine-sharing program, but shipments were delayed due to the lack of technical preparedness and global vaccine shortages, according to a UN report.
Singapore’s Local Cases Most Since November (11:25 a.m. HK)
Local Covid-19 cases in Singapore rose to 2,794 on Jan. 21, the most since November, according to the Ministry of Health’s website. Total infections for the day including imported cases more than doubled from a day earlier to 3,155, as the data started including results from antigen rapid tests.
Infections are climbing as the city-state takes steps to minimize disruptions by lowering isolation periods and easing test requirements for vaccinated travelers, even as it anticipates a surge of the omicron variant in the country.
Chinese City Xi’an Eases Restrictions (11:06 a.m. HK)
Authorities are easing restrictions in some parts of China’s Xi’an city as coronavirus cases dwindle after nearly a month of lockdown in the recent delta epicenter.
Rules on entering and exiting condominiums will be loosened for residents in the Beilin, Xincheng and Lianhu districts and those living in the city’s aerospace base, and businesses will also be allowed to resume, according to a statement on the Beilin government’s WeChat account. The four areas have a combined population of about 2.58 million in the western Chinese city of 13 million.
Veklury May Be Used for Milder Cases: FDA (8:13 a.m. HK)
Gilead Sciences Inc.’s Veklury Covid treatment may be used for some non-hospitalized patients with mild to moderate cases, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. The therapy had previously been limited to patients requiring hospitalization.
Australia to Allow Rapid Tests for Arrivals (5:53 p.m. NY)
Australia will allow international air travelers to enter the country if they provide results from a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours of departure.
A RAT must be undertaken by or under the supervision of a medical practitioner that includes pharmacists or trained personnel at airport testing stations, the Ministry of Health said on its website Saturday in Sydney.
Until now any incoming traveler needed to complete a PCR test within three days of departure. The change is effective from 1 a.m. Sunday.
Citi Asks NYC Staff to Return in February (4:04 p.m. NY)
Citigroup Inc. asked staffers in the New York City region to begin returning to the office early next month as cases start to recede in the area.
Employees in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were asked to prepare to come back on Feb. 7. For other locations across the U.S., Citigroup will continue to monitor local health data before inviting more workers to return. A spokeswoman confirmed the bank’s plans.
Citigroup has already asked its London staff to come into the office at least three days a week after the U.K. government said people no longer needed to work from home.
Omicron Reinfection Unlikely, Fauci Says (2:40 p.m. NY)
It’s extremely unlikely that a person can be reinfected with omicron, at least in the short-term, President Joe Biden’s top medical adviser said, as the U.S. begins to see sharp declines in cases in places hit earliest by the variant.
“There are reinfections, but it is unlikely that — if you mounted a good immune response — at least over a period of several months, it is extremely unlikely that you will be reinfected with the same variant,” Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a press briefing on Friday.
France Cases High Before Curbs Ease (2:20 p.m. NY)
France reported more than 400,000 cases for the fourth day in a row, less than two weeks before pandemic restrictions are scheduled to ease.
French leaders are betting that infections will recede, in part due to restricting most social activities — from eating in a restaurant to taking a train — to fully vaccinated people. The measure, scheduled to take effect Monday, won backing from France’s constitutional court on Friday.
Ireland Ends Most Restrictions (1:52 p.m. NY)
Ireland is dropping most pandemic restrictions, including early closing times for bars and restaurants and a work-from-home order, Prime Minister Micheal Martin said.
It’s the latest sign that Europe’s approach to Covid-19 is shifting toward something resembling a road back to normal as concern surrounding the omicron variant eases even amid record cases.
“I have stood here and spoken to you on some very dark days, but today is a good day,” Martin said in a national address. “We have weathered the omicron storm.”
U.K. Investigates Omicron Subvariant (1:48 p.m. NY)
U.K. health authorities said they’re investigating a version of the omicron variant based on an increase in the number of cases, but that it’s too early to evaluate its importance or severity.
The data on the omicron subvariant, known as BA.2, are limited, according to the agency. The agency said 426 cases have been confirmed in England, with the earliest dated Dec. 6.
U.S. Suspends Chinese Flights (12:54 p.m. NY)
The U.S. government is suspending 44 flights by Chinese airlines in response to restrictions placed on American carriers over Covid-19 testing protocols.
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday issued restrictions against four Chinese airlines in a dispute that has been percolating since the pandemic erupted in 2020. China in recent months had suspended flights on Delta Air Lines Inc., American Airlines Group Inc. and United Airlines Holdings Inc. in violation of a treaty on flight access, the DOT said.
Vaccine Mandate for Federal Workers Blocked (12:25 p.m. NY)
A federal judge in Texas granted Friday a nationwide preliminary injunction against President Biden’s Executive Order mandating that all federal workers consent to be vaccinated against Covid-19 or else face termination.
The order poses a substantial threat of irreparable harm to the “liberty interests of employees who must choose between violating a mandate of doubtful validity or consenting to an unwanted medical procedure that cannot be undone,” Judge Jeffrey V. Brown of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas said.
Last week, the Supreme Court blocked an Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule that would have required employers with 100 or more workers to make them get vaccinated or be tested regularly.
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