Coronavirus - 29th November 2021

Summary for Monday, 29th November

• 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.
  

 

Six Omicron cases detected in Scotland

Six cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant have been identified in Scotland, the BBC has just learned.
Four of the cases are in the Lanarkshire area and two in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.
That's all the information we have on it for now, but we will bring you more as we have it.

'Worrying time' for six Omicron cases in Scotland

We are just hearing a bit more from Public Health Scotland about those six Omicron cases.
Enhanced contact tracing is being carried out to find out the origin of the six cases and identify anyone who has been in contact with those affected in recent weeks.
Scotland's Health Secretary Humza Yousaf says it is a "worrying time" for those six people. They will all get "expert health and support", he adds.
He says: “There is still much to learn about the Omicron variant.
"Questions remain about its severity, transmissibility and response to treatments or vaccines and scientists are working at pace to provide additional information.
"Until more is known we must be cautious and do everything we can to minimise the risk of spreading infection."
All close contacts of suspected Omicron cases are being advised to self-isolate for 10 days, whether they have been vaccinated or not.
Read our story here

Decision due on booster advice in the UK

As we've mentioned, a decision is expected today on whether the Covid booster jab will be recommended for younger people in the UK.
The JCVI - the group of scientists that advises the government on vaccines - is set to advise if it should be rolled out to under 40s and if the time between doses should be reduced.
Currently, all over 40s can get a booster jab - as well as those with certain health conditions and frontline health and social care workers.
There have now been nine cases of the Omicron variant identified in the UK - including the six in Scotland we have just been telling you about.
New measures have been set out to try to tackle it, including masks becoming required in shops and on public transport in England, and PCR tests for all those coming in to the UK. Those measures are going before Parliament today.
Two of the other UK cases - picked up from analysis of recent positive Covid tests from all around the country - were confirmed on Saturday, in Essex and Nottingham. The third case identified on Sunday came from a visitor who spent time in the Westminster area of London, although the person is no longer in the UK, the Health Security Agency said.
You can read more here.

What do we know about Omicron so far?

James Gallagher - Health and science correspondent, BBC News
The variant has been named Omicron by the World Health Organization, following the pattern of Greek code-names like the Alpha and Delta variants.
It is also incredibly heavily mutated. Prof Tulio de Oliveira, the director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa, said there was an "unusual constellation of mutations" and that it was "very different" to other variants that have circulated.
"This variant did surprise us, it has a big jump on evolution [and] many more mutations than we expected," he said.
Prof de Oliveira said there were 50 mutations overall and more than 30 on the spike protein, which is the target of most vaccines and the key the virus uses to unlock the doorway into our body's cells.
Zooming in even further to the receptor binding domain (that's the part of the virus that makes first contact with our body's cells), it has 10 mutations compared to just two for the Delta variant that swept the world.
This level of mutation has most likely come from a single patient who was unable to beat the virus.
A lot of mutation doesn't automatically mean: bad. It is important to know what those mutations are actually doing.
Read more here.

'No travel history' in some Scotland cases

Deputy First Minister John Swinney has been speaking to BBC's Good Morning Scotland about the six cases identified in the country.
He says that in some of those cases, "we are aware that there is no travel history involved".
"So what that tells us is that there must be a degree of community transmission of this particular strain of the virus," says Swinney, adding that this "opens up further challenges" for interrupting the spread of the virus.

Omicron poses 'high risk' globally - WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the Omicron variant of the coronavirus poses a "very high" risk globally, and could lead to severe consequences in some regions.
"If another major surge of Covid-19 takes place driven by Omicron, consequences may be severe," it said in a technical note, adding however that "to date, no deaths linked to Omicron variant have been reported".
It confirmed previous reports that the variant had an unprecedented number of spike mutations, but added there were considerable uncertainties about the effect these could have.
The WHO said it expected more data within the coming weeks, and called on member states to make sure they were able to maintain health services even if the number of cases started to rise.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted that scientists around the world were working to understand the Omicron variant.
The emergence of the new variant will also be discussed by G7 health ministers on Monday.

Japan tightens restrictions

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes - BBC Tokyo correspondent
Japan is closing its borders to new foreign visitors from midnight on Tuesday. That includes tourists, business travellers and foreign students.
The new restrictions do not include foreigners who have residency in Japan, or foreigners with multiple entry visas - such as spouse visas or work visas.
Japan is also reimposing tougher quarantine measures on everyone arriving from 10 countries in southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
Anyone arriving from those countries, including Japanese citizens, will be required to spend 10 days quarantine in a government facility. These new measures are imposed for an initial one-month period.

Cardiff and Munster rugby teams stuck in South Africa after positive cases

Cardiff had been due to play in the United Rugby Championship

Cardiff rugby team's hopes of flying out of South Africa on Sunday were ended after two positive Covid-19 cases were confirmed in their squad - one of which is suspected to be the Omicron variant.
Fellow Welsh team Scarlets have left South Africa - they touched down in Dublin on Monday morning and are now in isolation in a Belfast hotel.
The west Wales side's chairman Simon Muderack told Scrum V all the players and staff had twice tested negative for Covid in the previous 48 hours.
Irish side Munster also have a positive Covid case and, like Cardiff, must remain in isolation in South Africa.
Cardiff's playing and coaching staff have now returned to their hotel to isolate.
South African government guidelines say individuals who test positive for Covid must isolate for 14 days from the day of developing symptoms, not the day of the positive result.
Cardiff were in South Africa to play in the United Rugby Championship, but all the tournament games in the country over this and next weekend have been called off.
Read more here.

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Australia pauses re-opening of borders

Some news in from Australia, where a long-awaited plan to ease border restrictions has been put on ice because of the emergence of the Omicron variant.
Travel into Australia for international students and "skilled workers" holding visas was meant to re-start on Wednesday but has now been delayed until 15 December.
The pause will allow the government to learn more about the new variant and the threat it poses, Australia's national broadcaster ABC reports.
Australia’s National Security Committee of cabinet made the decision, following medical advice from the chief medical officer.
It was hoped the planned opening up would tackle a skills shortage and get the economy moving.
Some 200,000 people who held eligible visas are believed to be affected.
Entry into Australia is currently permitted for citizens and others with exemptions, but there are tight caps on arrival numbers.

There have been tight restrictions on who can enter Australia

Scotland and Wales call for tougher travel restrictions

Nicola Sturgeon says she and Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford have written to Boris Johnson today calling for a tougher approach to travel restrictions.
It would see anyone arriving in the UK asked to isolate for eight days - taking tests on day two and day eight.
She says this would help identify cases of the Omicron variant and prevent further community transmission.
This view would be "sensible" and "on a precautionary basis", says Sturgeon.
Sturgeon and Drakeford want all four UK nations to work together on travel.

Sturgeon calls for emergency UK government meeting

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for a full meeting of the UK government's emergency Cobra committee, after being asked by LBC about how the UK should handle this new variant.
She says the concerns that she and Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford have shared with Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a letter need further discussion - citing information sharing and communication with health experts from all four UK nations.
She says a meeting in the "early part of this week" would be appropriate.

The latest from Europe: Dutch arrests and German record

Turning away from the UK, here are some of the Covid-19 stories making headlines across Europe on Monday:

• France’s health ministry says it has detected eight possible cases of the Omicron variant. The ministry said all the cases had travelled to southern Africa during the past two weeks. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested he has received a vaccine booster shot in a tweet
  
• In the Netherlands, police say they have detained a couple who escaped from a Covid-quarantine hotel. The arrests were made on a plane in Amsterdam's Schiphol airport just before it departed to Spain on Sunday. The drama came after 61 people who arrived on two flights at Schiphol Airport had tested positive, 13 of them with the new Omicron variant
  
• On Sunday, voters in Switzerland backed the government's measures to tackle Covid in a referendum. Results showed more than 60% opposed moves to remove some restrictions, including the Covid vaccination pass
  
• In Germany, the seven-day incidence of new infections has risen to a new record of 452.4 per 100,000 people. Germany’s top virologist Christian Drosten says he is “quite concerned” by the Omicron variant - which could be the “first real immune escape variant”
  

An extended partial lockdown came into force in the Netherlands on Sunday

Australia wants time to assess variant impact

As we have been reporting, Australia has paused its plans to reopen its borders in light of the new Omicron variant.
In a statement, its National Security Committee said: “The temporary pause will ensure Australia can gather the information we need to better understand the Omicron variant, including the efficacy of the vaccine, the range of illness, including if it may generate more mild symptoms, and the level of transmission.”
Only fully vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families, as well as fully vaccinated travellers from New Zealand and Singapore are currently allowed into Australia.
Read more here.

Portugal finds Omicron cases at football club

Mark Lowen - Southern Europe correspondent for BBC News

The match was abandoned after an outbreak of Covid-19 among the players

Portugal, it seems, has paid a high price for its love of football.
The country has detected 13 cases of the new Omicron variant among players and staff of Lisbon-based Belenenses SAD football club.
The variant is believed to have spread during a match over the weekend, which went ahead despite the team already being hit with Covid-19.
Only nine Belenenses players began Saturday’s match against Benfica, with others isolating after a defender, Cafu Phete, tested positive after returning from South Africa.
When just seven Belenenses players began the second half, the match was abandoned. Benfica were leading 7-0.
Questions are now being asked as to why the game went ahead with the knowledge of the health risk it posed.
The presidents of both clubs have said they had to play, or risk being punished for “unjustified absence.” Portugal’s health authority said it did not have the responsibility to cancel a sports match.

What did we learn from Nicola Sturgeon's press conference?

If you're just joining us, here's what we learned from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's press conference following the six cases of Omicron identified in Scotland:

• Sturgeon and Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford have written to Boris Johnson calling for stricter travel rules
  
• The politicians have called for an additional day eight test for all UK arrivals on top of the current test on day two
  
• They say an emergency Cobra meeting must be held to promote a 'four nations' approach to the Omicron variant
  
• There is some early evidence of community transmission of Omicron, with some of the cases having no travel history or links to anyone who does
  
• But there is no evidence this transmission is sustained or widespread
  
• Additional testing will be carried out in Scotland to identify more cases
  
• Sturgeon describes the variant as the "most challenging development" in the pandemic for some time
  
• However, she adds that people should not change their Christmas plans
  

If you'd like to read the full proposals from Wales and Scotland, the BBC's Economics editor Faisal Islam has obtained a copy of the letter here:

South Africa's low vaccination rate still a concern

Reality Check
With the detection of the new Omicron variant, there is concern about relatively low vaccination rates in South Africa.
About 41% of adult South Africans have received a single dose of the vaccine with 35% of adults fully vaccinated, according to official data.
Daily vaccination rates have been dropping and are currently below the UK, EU and other countries.
South Africa has faced a challenge with fewer people turning up for the jabs and is doing fewer than 150,000 vaccinations a day against a target of 300,000.
It recently asked Pfizer to delay vaccine deliveries because of the amount of stock that has built up.
“We are worried [that] this outbreak is largely [among] young people…so this is a very high risk,” Health Minister Joseph Phaahla says.
About 26% of those aged 18 to 35 years have had a single dose, with 21% fully vaccinated.


The Department of Health in South Africa believes vaccine misinformation has played a role.
Some of the anti-vaccination themes seen elsewhere in the world have found a particular resonance in South Africa.
The introduction of vaccine passports in some situations has led to comparisons with the passes that black South Africans had to carry during the apartheid era, even though the passports are for all residents.
Misinformation has also spread about vaccine safety - despite the large volume of evidence from clinical trials and the billions already jabbed showing complications are extremely rare.

Czech lab confirms Omicron variant

Rob Cameron - BBC Prague Correspondent
Back in Europe, a hospital in Liberec, north Bohemia, has confirmed that a Czech woman who came back from Namibia recently does have the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The hospital said lab tests had proved the presence of Omicron using sequencing of the virus RNA.
The woman, who is fully vaccinated, is said to be experiencing mild symptoms and is self-isolating.
Prime minister Andrej Babis said on Saturday she had returned from Namibia via South Africa and Dubai.

Omicron causes passengers to scramble for flights

Alex Clarke found a flight from South Africa - but says UK quarantine hotels are full

With the emergence of the new variant and travel restrictions popping up all over the place, travellers and airlines have been scrambling to rearrange plans.
One passenger told the BBC he had found a return flight from South Africa, but now cannot get a quarantine hotel in the UK.
Alex Clarke, from near Reading, said a lack of hotel space meant he might have to re-arrange his return again.
"I should have landed back in the UK this morning," he told the BBC. "My flight was cancelled, but I managed to book another for Friday. Now that's been cancelled.
"Found return flights via Dubai and Amsterdam, but they have now been closed off. I now have a return booked for Thursday, but the website that books quarantine hotels says everything is booked."
Mr Clarke, who has been staying with friends while his wife and two young children stayed at home in the UK, estimates he faces extra costs of about £4,000.
Read more about how new restrictions are having an impact on travellers and airlines.

Experts to provide update on booster jabs

We are expecting to hear from government scientific and medical advisers later this afternoon.
England's deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, Covid vaccine adviser Prof Wei Shen Lim and chief medicines regulator Dr June Raine will appear at Downing Street from 15:00 GMT.
It comes as the UK's vaccine advisory body has been looking at whether it will back an expansion of the Covid booster scheme.
And after nine cases of the Omicron variant have been found in the UK so far and Number 10 has set out measures to contain it.
Read our full story here.

No plans for stricter UK travel rules - Downing Street

There are no plans from the UK government to introduce the requirement for passengers to take a PCR test on day eight as well as day two on their return, Downing Street has confirmed.
The Scottish and Welsh governments have called for eight-day self-isolation restrictions for all new arrivals to the UK - with tests on day two and day eight - in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The government says the current system of self-isolation until a negative test on day two is a "proportionate one to the evidence we currently have available".
"Introducing further isolation and testing requirements would have a detrimental effect on the travel industry and those planning to go travelling," the prime minister’s spokesman says.
He said the government is not planning to change its approach with regards to furlough either, adding: “Our response needs to be balanced. We are taking a precautionary approach.
"We will keep our measures under review. We believe this is the proportionate and balanced approach."

Do travel bans really work?

Reality Check

A passenger at Johannesburg airport trying to find a flight

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has criticised the imposition of travel bans by countries around the world - including the UK - in response to the new Omicron variant.
“The prohibition of travel is not informed by science, nor will it be effective in preventing the spread of this variant.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) urges a “risk-based” approach to travel bans, taking into account other measures like face masks, social distancing as well as the extent of vaccine programmes.
Its advice has shifted significantly from the early days of the pandemic in 2020 when it questioned the value of travel bans. At that time, the WHO said: “Travel measures that significantly interfere with international traffic may only be justified at the beginning of an outbreak, as they may allow countries to gain time”.
Some scientific studies have suggested that these bans only work right at the start of an outbreak combined with other health measures, and that they could risk inducing a false sense of security in populations.
Dr Deepti Gurdasani, an epidemiologist at London’s Queen Mary University, told the BBC that although travel restrictions might slow down the spread of disease, it was clear that the Omicron variant was already in other parts of the world now.
“Rather than travel bans, you should have proper screening and isolation policies which would slow the spread,” she said.

No plans for mandatory post-arrival quarantine, says No 10

Downing Street has rejected the calls from Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Wales FM Mark Drakeford for the self-isolation period for travellers to be extended until the result of a test on day eight after arriving in the UK.
Extending the requirements would have a "detrimental effect" on the travel industry, No 10 said.
The spokesman added: "We believe that the approach we've taken is the proportionate one to the evidence that we currently have available about this variant.
"Introducing further isolation requirements and testing requirements would have a detrimental effect on the travel individually industry and indeed those who are planning to go travelling."
After a request from Sturgeon and Drakeford for a Cobra meeting involving all four nations of the UK, No 10 said there was not one scheduled.

What rules are changing?

New measures are coming in because of concerns about the Omicron variant that's just emerged.
There are some UK-wide measures, while others just affect England.
Here's what is changing:

• Face coverings are going to be compulsory in shops and on public transport in England from Tuesday - up until now it's been up to individual businesses or transport networks to decide if they want to ask people to wear them. It was still compulsory on the Transport for London network, for example
  
• Anyone arriving in the UK from 04:00 GMT on Tuesday will have to take a PCR test within 48 hours of arrival and will have to self-isolate until they get a negative result
  
• All contacts of suspected cases of Omicron now have to isolate for 10 days, whether they have been vaccinated or not
  
• Pupils at secondary schools in England are now being "strongly advised" to wear face coverings in communal areas - the guidance applies to staff and visitors too
  

You can read more detail here.

Singapore and Malaysia have re-opened one of the world’s busiest land borders, allowing vaccinated travellers to make the crossing after nearly two years of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reuters reports:
The sudden closure of the border in March 2020 left tens of thousands people stranded on both sides, separated from families and fearing for their jobs.
As many as 300,000 Malaysians commuted daily to wealthy city-state Singapore before the pandemic.
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob is also due to make his first official visit as premier to Singapore on Monday.
Under the new arrangement, up to 1,440 travellers from each side can travel if they hold citizenship, permanent residency or long-term visas in the destination country, without undergoing quarantine, according to guidelines published by the Singapore government.

People in Singapore board a the bus for vaccinated travellers to Malaysia as the border reopens after almost two years. Photograph: Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images

Travellers must test negative for Covid-19 before departure, and Malaysia also requires travellers to pass on-arrival Covid-19 test. Singapore on Sunday followed suit by requiring on-arrival test due to concerns over the new Covid-19 variant Omicron.
A vaccinated air travel lane between the two countries also started on Monday.
Singapore has vaccinated 85% of its entire population, while Malaysia has jabbed around 80%.
Singapore, with an ageing population of 5.5 million, relies heavily on Malaysians living in the southern state of Johor, which is connected to Singapore by land, to staff businesses ranging from restaurants to semiconductor manufacturing.
Singapore reported 747 locally acquired Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the lowest tally since mid September. Malaysia reported 4,239 cases, the smallest number since early November.

China reported 41 new coronavirus cases for 28 November, up from 23 a day earlier
Of the new infections, 21 were locally transmitted, according to a statement from the National Health Commission, compared with three a day earlier. Almost all of the new locally transmitted cases were in Inner Mongolia.
China also reported 22 new asymptomatic cases, which it classifies separately from confirmed cases, the same as a day earlier.

New Zealand has announced 182 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday
Tessa McClure - The Guardian
Daily case numbers have remained relatively steady over the past week with a rolling average of 179, in what experts say is a promising indication the outbreak could be peaking – but with the country due to switch into a new “traffic light” system of eased restrictions next week, it’s too early to say whether those numbers will remain under control.
According to Ministry of Health data, 92% of the eligible (those aged 12 and over) population have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 85% are double-dosed. According to Stats NZ population estimates, 76% of the full population have had at least one dose, and 71% have had both.
Māori remain behind the wider population, with 82% of those eligible having had one dose, and 68% having had both. The country has 93 people hospitalised with the virus, and 10 in ICU.

Countries are moving quickly to seal their borders as information about the Omicron variant - which was first detected in South Africa - continues to emerge
Virginia Harrison - The Guardian
Here are some of the restrictions in place:

• Israel has banned the entry of all foreigners
  
• Morocco has suspended all incoming flights for two weeks
  
• Canada has banned foreigners who have travelled to certain countries in southern Africa
  
• Britain has added several African countries to its red list
  
• US will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other African nations from Monday
  
• Japan has closed its border to foreigners travelling from nine countries including South Africa
  
• Australia has banned flights from nine African countries and imposed new quarantine measures for returning citizens
  
• Angola has suspended all flights from its regional neighbours Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa.
  

Dutch border police say they have arrested a couple on a plane after they fled a quarantine hotel where Covid-positive passengers from South African flights were staying
AFP reports:
The drama came after Dutch authorities said that 61 people who arrived on two flights at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Friday had tested positive for the coronavirus, 13 of them with the new Omicron variant.
One of the members of the couple had tested positive for Covid-19 and went into isolation, while the other person was negative but in quarantine, according to Public health authority spokeswoman Stefanie van Waardenburg.
She added that both were back in isolation, but not at the same hotel.
They are a Spanish man, 30 and a Portuguese woman, aged 28, police spokesman Stan Verberkt told AFP.
“The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee at Schiphol has arrested a couple this evening who had fled from a quarantine hotel,” Verberkt said.
“The arrests took place in a plane that was about to take off. They were on a plane that was about to depart for Spain at around 6:00 pm,” he added.
Border police are now laying charges with the Dutch public prosecutor’s office against the couple for jeopardising public safety, he said.
The pair had been handed over to the public health authority, Verberkt confirmed.
It was not known how the couple left the hotel or how the alarm was raised.


New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern says the Omicron variant demonstrates why the country will need public health measures into the future, as the country maintains its closed borders for the next two months, and prepares to shift into a new system of “traffic light” restrictions.
Tess McClure - The Guardian
“Covid-19 is still with us, and the emergence of the Omicron variant overseas is a reminder of why we need to maintain a careful approach and keep public health measures in place to protect us,” Ardern said.
At present the country’s borders remain closed, with the government announcing last week it would plan for a staggered reopening in the early months of 2022. The country plans to open to New Zealanders coming from Australia in mid-January, from the rest of the world in mid-February, and to vaccinated international travellers in mid-April.
Asked if the country would introduce more restrictions in response to Omicron cases, director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said, “we are doing what we’ve done right through the pandemic, which is to try to keep the virus out as much as possible to give us time to learn more.”
The country has already tweaked its border rules so those coming from southern African countries must do a full 14-day quarantine period.
On Monday afternoon Ardern also announced how regions of the country would be split into different levels of Covid rules, under a new system that would involve an overall loosening of rules.
Places with large outbreaks or low vaccination rates would come in at “red”, and the rest of the country will be at “orange”. Both levels give a high degree of freedom for the vaccinated.
They require people to wear masks in many public places, and vaccine passports will be required to enter many businesses, including hospitality, hairdressers and gyms. Under orange, there are less restrictions on gathering size for those who are vaccinated.

Omicron variant Australia: NSW confirms four cases as new Covid strain emerges in Darwin too
Michael McGowan - The Guardian
A case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has been confirmed in Australia’s Northern Territory, while New South Wales is also investigating the possibility of further cases and the state’s premier, Dominic Perrottet, has warned against “knee-jerk” reactions to the new strain.
The NSW health department said on Monday that urgent genomic testing was under way to determine if two passengers who arrived on a flight on Sunday and tested positive to Covid had the new variant.
That follows confirmation on Sunday that two people who had recently returned from southern Africa had tested positive for the new variant in Sydney.
They were among 141 people to have flown into NSW from the handful of countries in southern Africa which have been subject to increased border restrictions since the new variant was detected.
Read more.

A resurgence of Covid-19 infections in northern China has forced two small cities to suspend public transport and tighten control over residents’ movement, Reuters reports, as the country shows no willingness to go easy on local outbreaks.
China reported 21 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases with confirmed symptoms on Sunday, official data showed on Monday, marking the highest daily count since mid-November. Almost all of the new local cases were detected in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia.
The latest cases came shortly after a few other northern cities, hit hard in China’s biggest Delta outbreak, which started mid-October, had contained their clusters this month and gradually lifted curbs, indicating it has become harder for China to stay clear of local flare-ups.

Staff members disinfect themselves before entering a residential area under temporary lockdown due to the resurgence of Covid-19 in Hohhot, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

The new resurgence is tiny relative to many outbreaks overseas, and national officials specified that China does not aim for remaining at zero cases.
However, Beijing still requires officials to stay on high vigilance to be ready to quickly quash local outbreaks, meaning some tough curbs are likely to be imposed when new cases emerge.
In the Inner Mongolian city of Manzhouli, a crucial port of entry that borders Russia and has about 150,000 residents, reported 20 local symptomatic cases on Sunday.
Over the weekend, Manzhouli banned residents from leaving town and suspended public transport as well as certain non-urgent services at hospitals.
It also closed marketplaces and entertainment venues, halted dining in restaurants, in-person school classes and religious gatherings, and started a second round of citywide testing.
Hailar district, an administrative division about three hours away from Manzhouli, has blocked some roads linking it to the outside and required people arriving from Manzhouli to be quarantined at centralised facilities for two weeks.
Nehe, a city of about 440,000 in the northeastern Heilongjiang province, reported on Sunday one locally transmitted asymptomatic carrier, which China counts separately from confirmed patients.
Nehe has tightened controls over residents’ movement, shut down non-essential businesses, and cut public transport and some services at private hospitals and clinics.
The cities of Suihua, Shuangyashan and Daqing, also in Heilongjiang province, have required people seeking to leave or enter to provide proof of a negative test result within 48 hours.

Here’s a rundown of developments around the world over the past 24 hours:

• G7 health ministers are to hold an emergency meeting on Monday on the new Omicron Covid-19 strain, as experts race to understand what the variant means for the fight to end the pandemic.
  
• Omicron has been detected in at least a dozen countries including Britain, Germany, France, Denmark, Israel, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia and South Africa.
  
• Japan will effectively close its border to all foreign visitors before the end of the month to prevent the spread of Omicron, Japanese broadcaster NTV has reported.
  
• Singapore and Malaysia have re-opened one of the world’s busiest land borders, allowing vaccinated travellers to make the crossing after nearly two years of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Reuters reports.
  
• 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.
  
• The Philippines has launched an ambitious drive to vaccinate nine million people against Covid-19 over three days, deploying security forces and using tens of thousands of volunteers to help administer the programme.
  
• A case of the Omicron variant has been confirmed in Australia’s Northern Territory, while New South Wales has also confirmed two and is investigating the possibility of two further cases
  
• 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.
  
• Authorities in the Netherlands detected at least 13 cases of the Omicron variant from recent flights into Amsterdam from South Africa.
  
• The 194 member states of the World Health Organization have 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.
  

Switzerland has detected its first probable case of the Omicron variant, the government said late on Sunday.
The case relates to a person who returned to Switzerland from South Africa around a week ago, the Federal Office for Public Health said on Twitter. Testing will clarify the situation in the coming days, it added.
Switzerland has ordered that travellers from 19 countries - including Britain, South Africa and Israel - present a negative test when boarding a fight to the country, and must go into quarantine for 10 days on arrival.
Swiss voters on Sunday firmly backed the law behind the country’s Covid pass in a referendum, following a tense campaign that saw unprecedented levels of hostility.

India has announced that new travel rules will come into effect from 1 December.
A government statement says that in view of the development of the Omicron variant. Reuters report they say that all inbound travellers from “countries at risk” are to mandatorily undergo post-arrival testing. Additionally 5% of travellers coming from countries not in the “at risk” category will be tested on a random basis.

Labour's Angela Rayner: 'no point vaccinating Britain if rest of world is not given vaccines as well'
In the UK, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has said ensuring people have sick pay when they have to self-isolate is “one of the most crucial things we can do” amid the rise of the Omicron variant, along with people wearing face coverings – “including the prime minister”.
PA Media quotes her appearing on BBC Breakfast, where she said:

If people have to self-isolate or go off sick they have to be given sick pay, it’s one of the most crucial things we can do to ensure that everybody can do the right thing and protect people from this new variant.
The booster jab should be given as quickly as possible – we said five months – hopefully that will happen now, and there should be ventilation in schools.
People should be wearing masks, including the prime minister when he’s visiting public spaces indoors.
The G7 was very clear in its commitment to rolling out the vaccines across the globe and we’ve not met those targets.
We’ve seen that there’s no point in vaccinating Britain if the rest of the world is not given the vaccines as well.

Belenenses player had returned to Portugal after international duty in South Africa
A little more detail here on those Omicron variant cases detected in the Portuguese football team Belenenses. Defender Cafu Phete tested positive for Covid-19 after returning to Portugal last week from international duty in South Africa.
Reuters report that the new variant was found after Belenenses played a Primeira Liga match against Benfica on Saturday.
The game started with only nine Belenenses players on the pitch because the rest of their squad were isolating and only seven returned to the field after halftime. The match was abandoned two minutes into the second half with Benfica leading 7-0.
“We’re all in isolation except for the youth team that didn’t play on Saturday, 44 people are in isolation at home,” a club spokesman said on Monday.
“Two or three players and two or three staff have symptoms, but nothing too serious, the rest are asymptomatic. Everyone is waiting to repeat the tests, as soon as the health authority authorises it,” he added.

Russia has reported 33,860 new coronavirus cases, and 1,209 further official deaths
Both those figures continue the gradual decline that has been seen over the last few weeks since the country had an enforced week’s leave from work at the beginning of the month.

French authorities are waiting for laboratory confirmation of eight suspected cases of the new variant of the coronavirus, involving people who traveled recently to southern Africa.

AP reports:
Testing already conducted determined that the travellers were positive for the virus but not for one of its previous variants. Follow-up genetic testing was being done to see if they were infected with the new omicron variant.
The Health Ministry said last night that results could take several days. If confirmed, they would be France’s first known cases of the omicron variant.

There’s been a development with the Omicron variant case confirmed in Essex in England
The local council have stated that “Following further contact tracing of the known Omicron Covid-19 case in Brentwood, it has been confirmed that there is a link to Larchwood Primary school based in Pilgrims Hatch.”
They have confirmed that they are “making specialist testing available for all pupils and school staff and confirming arrangements for remote learning for one class. We appreciate that this is an unsettling time for parents, pupils and the school community but we take the time to remind everyone that this is a precautionary measure.”

Today so far

• The Omicron variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a “very high” global risk where Covid-19 surges could have “severe consequences” in some areas, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said this morning.
  
• “Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerning for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic,” the WHO said. “The overall global risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron is assessed as very high.”
  
• Omicron has been detected in at least a dozen countries including Britain, Germany, France, Denmark, Israel, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia and South Africa.
  
• Portugal has detected 13 cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant – all related to players and staff members of the Lisbon football team Belenenses. Defender Cafu Phete tested positive for Covid-19 after returning to Portugal last week from international duty in South Africa.
  
• Six cases of Omicron have been identified in Scotland – four in Lanarkshire and two in Glasgow and Clyde. Scotland’s deputy first minister John Swinney said that some of the Omicron variant cases identified in Scotland have no travel history, which suggests there is a degree of community transmission.
  
• Pupils and staff at a school in Essex in England are being tested for Covid after it was linked to one of England’s three cases. Junior health minister Edward Argar said that number was sure to increase, saying: “I would expect that to rise. We don’t know by what speed, or by what numbers. What we’re doing is trying to slow it down, but we can’t we can’t stop it.” Asked if the government might tighten up the rules even further in the next three weeks, he said: “It’s not something I’m anticipating.”
  
• G7 health ministers are to hold an emergency meeting on Monday on the new Omicron Covid-19 strain, as experts race to understand what the variant means for the fight to end the pandemic.
  
• The World Health Organization (WHO) is opening a long-planned special session of member states to discuss ways to strengthen the global fight against pandemics such as the coronavirus, just as the new omicron variant has sparked immediate concerns worldwide. Germany’s Angela Merkel said the WHO required reliable financing with higher donations from member states, and she backed it launching negotiations for a binding international accord on preventing pandemics.
  
• Authorities in France are waiting for laboratory confirmation of eight suspected cases of the new variant of the coronavirus, involving people who traveled recently to southern Africa.
  
• Prof Sir Mark Walport, who is a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) advising the UK government, said there was “good cause to be concerned” about Omicron.
  
• In the UK, Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said there was “no distinction” between people sitting in pubs, trains or hospitals when it came to wearing masks indoors. She has called for face coverings to be worn in hospitality venues in England, as well as on public transport and in shops.
  
• Former UK prime minister Gordon Brown said that 100 million vaccines would be “wasted” by western countries by the end of the year. “If you waste a vaccine, you’re actually putting a life at risk.”
  
• Military police in the Netherlands say they have arrested a married couple who left a hotel where they were in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19 and were attempting to flee the country.
  
• 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.
  
• Singapore and Malaysiahave re-opened one of the world’s busiest land borders, allowing vaccinated travellers to make the crossing after nearly two years of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  

Dutch police arrest couple trying to flee quarantine for Spain
Daniel Boffey - The Guardian
The Dutch police have arrested a married couple who fled a quarantine hotel to get a flight out of the country, despite at least one of them testing positive for Covid on arrival in the Netherlands from South Africa, where the new Omicron variant was first identified, Daniel Boffey writes.
The Portuguese woman and Spanish man were apprehended in their seats moments before their plane was scheduled to leave for Spain from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Sunday evening.
A spokesperson for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, a national police force, said the couple had been taken off the plane “almost silently and without resistance”.
Read more.

New restrictions in Norway

A snap from Reuters states that Norway’s government is poised to introduce measures to curb the spread of Omicron. More to follow.

AFP has just shared its regular tally of global coronavirus cases, compiled from official sources.
The new figures show that coronavirus has killed at least 5,197,718 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019. At least 260,817,750 cases of coronavirus have been registered. On Sunday, 4,760 new deaths and 382,619 new cases were recorded worldwide.
The report notes that the World Health Organization estimates that the pandemic’s overall toll could be two to three times higher than official records, due to the excess mortality that is directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19. A large number of the less severe or asymptomatic cases also remain undetected, despite intensified testing in many countries
The country breakdowns are as follows:
Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were Russia with 1,209 new deaths, followed by Ukraine with 297 and India with 236. The United States is the worst-affected country with 776,639 deaths from 48,229,273 cases.
After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 614,278 deaths from 22,080,906 cases, India with 468,790 deaths from 34,580,832 cases, Mexico with 293,897 deaths from 3,883,842 cases, and Russia with 273,964 deaths from 9,604,233 cases.
The country with the highest number of deaths compared to its population is Peru with 610 fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Bulgaria with 404, Bosnia-Herzegovina with 380, Montenegro with 364, Republic of North Macedonia with 362, Hungary with 351 and Czech Republic with 307.
Latin America and the Caribbean overall has 1,539,738 deaths from 46,642,178 cases, Europe 1,514,834 deaths from 83,767,638 infections, and Asia 896,740 deaths from 57,159,434 cases.
The US and Canada has reported 806,268 deaths from 50,014,587 cases, Africa 222,568 deaths from 8,638,847 cases, Middle East 214,292 deaths from 14,288,635 cases, and Oceania 3,278 deaths from 306,439 cases.

Poland announces new restrictions

The Polish government has announced the following restrictions to come into force between 1-17 December:

• Restaurants, cinemas and some other places to be reduced to 50% capacity.
  
• Weddings limited to 100 vaccinated people, no limits on those with jabs.
  
• 14-day quarantine for all those travelling from outside the EU’s Schengen zone.
  
• Longer quarantine for those returning from some African countries.
  

.
 
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified two further cases of Covid-19 with mutations consistent with Omicron in England, officials have announced.
Andrew Gregory - The Guardian
The two cases are in addition to the previous three confirmed cases of the Sars-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529 – aka the Omicron variant – on 27 and 28 November. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now five.
The individuals that have tested positive are not connected to each other and are not linked to the previously confirmed cases. Both have links to travel to southern Africa. One case is located in Camden, north London and one case is located in Wandsworth, south London.
Both individuals and their households had been told to self-isolate, the UKHSA said. It was carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious.

UK records 42,583 Covid cases

The UK has recorded 42,583 cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, according to the latest government figures.This takes the number of new cases to 303,322 over the last seven days, a 3.7% rise on the week before.
There have been also 35 deaths over the last day of someone who tested positive for coronavirus in the previous 28 days.
In the last week 838 people have died with Covid, down 189 - 18.4% - on the prior week.

Spain detects its first Omicron case

Spain says it has detected its first case of the Omicron variant in a man who had recently arrived from South Africa.
The 51-year-old was tested after his flight landed at Madrid airport on Sunday after a stopover in Amsterdam.
The man has "light symptoms" and is now in quarantine, Madrid authorities say.

Ghana’s government is ordering access to beaches, restaurants, night clubs and stadiums be limited to people who have been vaccinated against Covid, as part of its efforts to fight the spread of the virus, AP reports.
While the Omicron variant has not yet been identified in the west African country, the government health service is “taking steps to protect the country towards the Christmas season,” Ghana’s health service director-general Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said.
At least 5.45 million people of Ghana’s population of 31 million have received at least one vaccine dose. Vaccines being administered in Ghana include AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson.
Ghana’s land borders are currently closed and air travellers are required to have a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival and antigen tests upon arrival.
The country aims to administer 20 million doses of vaccines by the end of 2021, Kuma-Aboagye said in a statement issued on Sunday.
“Among Covid-19 deaths at the Ghana Infectious Diseases Center, 12.5% of the deaths were persons who had been vaccinated (they also had severe underlying medical conditions). The rest, 87.5%, hadn’t been vaccinated,” he said.
Ghana has recorded more than 1,209 deaths and 130,920 cases of Covid-19.

Sweden reports first omicron case

One case of the Omicron coronavirus variant has been detected in Sweden, the Public Health Agency said on Monday.
The case was detected in a test taken a little over a week ago from a person who had travelled from South Africa, the agency said in a statement.

What do new measures to tackle Omicron Covid variant mean for UK travellers?
With new travel restrictions coming into effect in England from 4am on Tuesday to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant, The Guardian's Nazia Parveen explains what this means for travellers arriving in the country.
Read more here.

UN chief says he's 'deeply concerned' by Africa travel bans

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says he is "deeply concerned" by travel restrictions being imposed on southern African countries to halt the spread of the Omicron variant.
Guterres says he's worried about the "isolation" of southern African countries as a result of the restrictions. The UK, US and EU members are among countries that have imposed curbs on travel to the region.
"The people of Africa cannot be blamed for the immorally low level of vaccinations available in Africa - and they should not be penalized for identifying and sharing crucial science and health information with the world," he says.
South Africa's president says he is is "deeply disappointed" by the travel curbs, while Malawi's president has accused western countries of "Afrophobia".

Covid-19 testing under way in Brentwood

In a quiet car park behind a leisure centre in Brentwood, Essex, potential contacts of one of the first UK cases of the Omicron variant are being screened for Covid-19.
Around half a dozen people are turning up for PCR tests every hour. Officials at the site, which was already being used as a mobile testing unit, said that was fewer than usual.
Most of those the BBC has spoken to had been to Brentwood’s Trinity Church, one of two locations that Essex Council had declared were sites of possible transmission, along with a popular chicken shop on the high street.
Others, including families, came as a precaution and said they were concerned about the confirmed link to a local primary school.
One couple told the BBC they were worried about the emergence of Omicron affecting their festive plans: “There’s a new variant. It’s right on our doorstep. We’re desperately trying to have a decent Christmas.”

Canadian province of Quebec reports first omicron case

The Quebecois health minister has reported the discovery of a first case of the omicron variant, Reuters reports.

Big jump in coronavirus cases recorded in France

France registered its biggest jump in coronavirus-related hospital admissions since the spring, according to official data.
Reuters reports:
The number of patients in intensive care units jumped by 117 to 1,749 people, the biggest increase since March-April, when the ICU number rose by more than 100 per day on several days.
The number of people in hospital with the virus jumped by 470 to 9,860, the biggest one-day increase since March 29. Compared with a week ago, the number of Covid-19 patients was up more than 18%, the biggest week-on-week increase this year.
The French health minister last week said that France has entered a fifth wave of the pandemic. France is registering nearly 30,000 new cases a day on average.

Fines of up to £6,400 for not wearing face covering in shops and on public transport in England
As part of targeted measures to prevent the spread of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, from 4am on 30 November, people in England will be required by law to wear a face covering in shops, enclosed shopping centres, banks, post offices, and on public transport.
Some individuals will be exempt from doing so, such as children under the age of 11, shop and public transport staff, police officers and emergency responders, plus anyone with a reasonable excuse, such as a disability or physical or mental illness.
People will not be required to wear masks in hospitality settings, and photography studios are also exempt.
People who are not wearing a face covering where they have to can be fined in form of a fixed penalty notice and ordered to pay £200, rising to £400 for the second such offence, and to £800 for the third, up to a maximum of £6,400 in the case of a sixth and subsequent fixed penalty notices received.

Cuba will tighten coronavirus restrictions from 4 December for passengers from certain African countries 
Travellers arriving from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Malawi, and Mozambique will be allowed to enter Cuba, the country’s health ministry said, but will be required to comply with multiple precautionary measures, including proof of vaccination, three PCR tests and a seven-day quarantine.
Travellers from other sub-Saharan African nations, as well as Belgium, Israel, Hong Kong, Egypt and Turkey will be required to take two PCR tests, the ministry said.
Concerns over the Omicron variant are flaring in Cuba just two weeks after the Caribbean island nation reopened its borders to international visitors.
Cuba, whose economy depends on tourism, eased entry requirements after inoculating most of its people with a Covid-19 vaccine developed domestically. New infections have dropped off sharply in recent weeks, as have deaths from Covid-19.

Here's a reminder of today's top stories:

• All over-18s in the UK will be offered a booster vaccine as part of the government's efforts to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant
  
• The gap between second doses and boosters is also being reduced from six to three months
  
• But speaking at a news conference, the UK's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam has insisted that it is ''not all doom and gloom'' surrounding the Omicron variant.
  
• Eleven cases of the Omicron variant have now been detected in the UK. Two new cases have been recorded in London and six in Scotland
  
• The WHO warns that the Omicron variant poses a high risk of infection surges around the globe, and could lead to severe consequences in some regions
  
• In the US, President Joe Biden has said the new strain "is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic", and that he does not foresee new lockdowns or travel restrictions
  
• UN chief Antonio Guterres says he is "deeply concerned" about travel restrictions being imposed on southern African countries in response to the new variant.
  
• South Africa's health minister has said there is "absolutely no need to panic" over the spread of Omicron
  
• The UK announced that all adults would be eligible for a booster jab as part of the country’s response to the omicron variant
  
• Poland, Ghana and Norway announced new restrictions on travel and socialising to tackle the spread of omicron
  
• Sweden, Canada and Spain reported their first cases linked to the omicron variant
  
• A big jump in coronavirus cases was recorded in France, after the health minister said the country had entered the fifth wave of the pandemic last week
  
• The US said it didn’t plan to introduce further travel restrictions, and advocated vaccinations, boosters and mask-wearing as preventative measures against the omicron variant, which has not yet been detected in the country