- Six cases of the Omicron variant are detected in Scotland, taking the total to nine found in the UK so far
- The Scottish and Welsh first ministers have written to Boris Johnson calling for a tougher approach to travel restrictions
- Approval is expected to be given by the UK's vaccine advisory body later for all adults to have Covid booster jabs
- Australia pauses the re-opening of its borders because of the Omicron variant
- Japan is one of the latest countries to reinstate travel restrictions, banning all foreigners from entering
- Health ministers from the G7 will hold urgent talks on Omicron later
What's happening in the UK and around the world today?
Good morning and welcome to today's coronavirus live page. We'll be bringing you the latest lines from the UK and around the world.Here are some of the morning headlines:
- The UK's vaccine advisory body is set to announce if it will recommend rolling out the Covid booster to more people
- From tomorrow, masks are going to be compulsory in shops and on public transport in England
- There's concern about the new Omicron variant - it was announced on Sunday that a third case had been detected in the UK, and there are warnings more could be found in coming days
- The Omicron variant is likely to spread internationally and there could be "severe consequences" in some areas, the World Health Organization says
- An urgent meeting of health ministers from the G7 group of nations will be held today to discuss Omicron
- The variant, initially reported to the World Health Organization from South Africa on Wednesday, is thought to have a higher reinfection risk
- It has been classed as a "variant of concern"
- In England, the Department for Education is now advising pupils in Year 7 and above, as well as school staff and visitors, to wear face coverings in communal areas
- South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa says he is "deeply disappointed" by travel bans against his country and its neighbours over the Omicron variant and called for them to be lifted
- Japan has become the latest country to reinstate tough border restrictions, banning all foreigners from entering the country from 30 November
- Authorities in the Netherlands detected at least 13 cases of the Omicron variant from recent flights into Amsterdam from South Africa.
- Botswana, which borders South Africa, said it has recorded a total 19 Omicron cases.
- The UK said it has detected three total Omicron infections in Nottingham, Essex and the London borough of Westminster, with targeted PCR testing being stepped up.
- European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned of global “race against time” against Omicron, urging people to practice social distancing and get vaccinated so scientists have time to understand the new variant’s transmissibility and severity.
- The health ministers of the G7 will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the Omicron variant.
- The 194 member states of the World Health Organization agreed to launch pandemic treaty negotiations as the world prepares to learn the lessons of Covid for the next pandemic.
- The UK reported 37,681 new Covid cases and 51 deaths, with the government vaccine watchdog suggesting the vaccine booster drive could be accelerated as soon as Monday to suppress cases.
- Secondary school pupils and teachers in England will wear once again face coverings in communal areas.
- Israel suspended all flights into the country on Sunday at 10pm GMT after detecting its first Omicron infection on Friday, just four weeks after it fully opened its skies to vaccinated travellers.
- Morocco said it will stop all incoming flights for two weeks starting Monday to prevent spread of the new strain.
- Canada’s health minister says the country’s first two cases of Omicron have been found in Ontario after two individuals who had recently travelled from Nigeria tested positive. They are the first cases to be detected in North America. Canada has banned travellers who have visited southern Africa countries in the past two weeks in a ban which came into effect on Friday.
- The top US infectious disease official, Dr Anthony Fauci, has told president Joe Biden it will take about two weeks to have definitive information on the new variant and has warned the US has “the potential to go into a fifth wave” of coronavirus infections.
- South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, said Omicron was a “wake-up call” for global vaccine inequality. He has opposed travel bans announced on southern African countries in recent days, amid fears of the economic toll. The World Health Organization has echoed Ramaphosa’s concern and called for borders to remain open, citing uncertainty over the transmissibility, severity and vaccine disruption from Omicron.