Coronavirus - 14th December 2021

Summary for Tuesday, 14th December

• MPs will vote later on a set of measures for England aimed at slowing the spread of the Omicron variant
  
• The BBC estimates about 70 Tory MPs will vote against showing proof of vaccination or a negative test for entry into places like nightclubs
  
• But the extension of the so-called Covid pass is expected to go ahead as Labour says it will back the government
  
• There will also be a vote to replace self-isolation with daily tests for double-jabbed contacts of positive cases
  
• And there will be a retrospective vote on mandatory mask-wearing in many indoor settings
  
• More than half a million people booked booster jabs on Monday and long queues formed at vaccine centres
  
• One person in the UK is confirmed to have died with the Omicron variant
  

Good morning and welcome to today’s coronavirus live page. We’ll be bringing you updates throughout the day, but here’s a look at the main headlines this morning:

• About 70 Conservative MPs are expected to vote against the government’s changes to Covid rules for England in response to the Omicron variant. The proposal to make Covid passes a requirement of entering large venues such as nightclubs has angered many Conservative MPs
  
• The proposals also include new requirements for face masks in most indoor settings, introduced last week, and measures to allow fully-vaccinated people to take daily lateral flow tests to avoid self-isolation after a Covid contact. Despite Conservative opposition, the measures are likely to pass as Labour says it will support them
  
• First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is also expected to announce new Covid measures for Scotland later. She has said any restrictions would be as "proportionate and targeted" as possible and has ruled out schools closing early before Christmas
  
• The NHS is appealing for volunteers to help run vaccine centres as bookings for booster jabs surge. More than half a million people booked on Monday, crashing the NHS website, and long queues formed at walk-in centres
  
• Manchester United’s match against Brentford tonight has been postponed after a Covid outbreak at the Old Trafford club. In the past week, 42 Premier League players and staff have tested positive
  

A snapshot of all the key Covid developments around the world (from The Guardian):

• At least one person in the UK had died with the Omicron variant, Boris Johnson has said as he refused to rule out imposing further restrictions across England in the run-up to Christmas and appealed to members of the public to step forward to assist the Covid booster jab programme.
  
• Norway has tightened Covid measures and banned the serving of alcohol in a bid to halt the Omicron outbreak.
  
• Protests in Latvia turned violent after a police officer was injured and four demonstrators arrested as several thousand people in the capital Riga protested anti-Covid restrictions.
  
• Peru says it is battling a “resurgence” of the pandemic, with infections and deaths rising. The country has the world’s highest coronavirus death rate.
  
• China has recorded its first case of the Omicron variant, state media report authorities in the northeastern city of Tianjin as saying.
  
• In Denmark, health authorities say a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will be offered sooner to everyone over 40 to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
  
• The US Air Force has discharged 27 people for refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine, making them what officials believe are the first service members to be removed for disobeying the mandate to get the shots.
  
• California will impose a statewide mask mandate in all indoor public spaces.
  
• Covid-19 cases in Canada may rapidly rise in the coming days due to community spread of the Omicron variant.
  
• Nigeria will destroy around one million expired Covid-19 vaccines, Faisal Shuaib, head of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said.
  
• At least 200,000 Covid-19 vaccines have expired in Senegal without being used in the past two months and another 200,000 are set to expire at the end of December because demand is too slow, the head of its immunisation programme said.
  
• Thailand will halve to three months the time between administering a second Covid-19 vaccine shot and a booster, health officials said.
  

PM facing big Tory rebellion in vote on new restrictions

More now on the vote taking place in the House of Commons later on new Covid rules for England.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended his plans as a "proportionate" response to rising cases of the Omicron variant.
However, the proposal to make Covid passes a requirement of entering large venues such as nightclubs has angered many of his MPs, and about 70 Conservatives are expected to rebel.
The measures are still likely to pass as Labour says it will support them.
MPs are due to vote on three measures:

• New rules on face masks which came into force last week. Under these restrictions, face coverings have become compulsory in most indoor settings, except for pubs and restaurants
  
• A measure allowing fully-vaccinated people who have been exposed to a positive Covid case to avoid self-isolation if they take daily lateral flow tests, and receive a negative result
  
• The introduction of a Covid pass, which would ensure that someone can enter a large venue, if they can prove they are fully vaccinated or have a negative lateral flow test
  

Read more

Long queues at vaccine centres as 500,000 book in a day

Despite the NHS website crashing under the demand, more than half a million people booked their booster vaccination yesterday following the prime minister's pledge that everyone would be offered a top-up dose by 31 December.
Some people waited for up to five hours to get a jab at walk-in centres as long queues formed.
Now the NHS is appealing for more volunteers to help deliver the vaccination programme over the coming weeks.
Downing Street has promised that hundreds more vaccination sites will be established all over the country.

Where will I need a Covid pass and how do I get one?

As we reported a moment ago, the government's proposal to make Covid passes a requirement of entering large venues in England has proven contentious with some Conservative MPs.
Similar schemes are already in place in the rest of the UK.
So what would the new rules for England look like if they are approved by Parliament later, as expected?
From Wednesday 15 December the following venues will be legally required to check the Covid status of visitors over 18.

• nightclubs
  
• indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people
  
• unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people
  
• any venue with more than 10,000 people
  

Where required, people will need to show they're fully vaccinated (currently two doses), proof of a negative test taken in the past 48 hours, or that they have an exemption.
This can be done with an NHS Covid Pass, or an alternative way of showing a negative test, like a text or an email from the NHS.
Some large events aren't included in the rules, including communal worship, wedding ceremonies, funerals, protests and mass participation sporting events (such as a marathon).
Read more

What restrictions exist around Europe?

As British MPs prepare to vote on new measures such as increased mask wearing in England and Covid passes for larger venues, tighter restrictions are already in place elsewhere in Europe.
In Germany, entry to restaurants, cultural venues and non-essential shops is now governed nationwide by the "2G" rule. This means you must be able to prove you have either:

• been vaccinated
  
• or recovered from Covid
  

In France, everyone aged 12 and over needs a "pass sanitaire" to attend large events and for entry to a wide range of venues including bars, restaurants, museums, or to use some types of public transport including planes and long-distance trains.
The pass reflects people's status as either vaccinated, having tested negative for Covid, or as having recovered from it.
In Italy, if you are 12 or older, you need a “green pass” to access many public spaces. The pass is also required to travel on most public transport between regions.
Read more here about restrictions around Europe.

PCR tests unavailable at sites across England

The government's booking site for PCR tests is currently showing they are unavailable at walk-through and drive-through sites in all of England's regions.
Home testing kits, which should arrive within a day of being requested, are still available, however - as are tests at sites throughout Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
It comes after people ordering lateral flow tests in recent days have also been told that none were available - although ministers insisted there was no shortage of supply, just an issue with distributing them in sufficient numbers.

Mainland China reports first Omicron case

Vincent Ni - The Guardian
Mainland China has reported its first Omicron case in the northern city of Tianjin, as the country’s eastern province of Zhejiang has been battling a rise in new infections of the Delta variant in recent weeks.
The Guardian’s China correspondent, Vincent Ni, provides an update on the situation in the country.
Chinese authorities reported that the Omicron case was detected from an overseas returnee, who showed no symptoms upon arrival on 9 December. The patient is now being quarantined and treated in a designated hospital.
Nearby Beijing is gearing up for the Winter Olympics, which is to be held in February. The Guardian understands the patient is not related to the Games.
China’s eastern Zhejiang province – a province with a population of 65 million – is battling against its first domestic Covid cluster outbreak this year. Among the 80 new locally transmitted cases with symptoms in mainland China on 12 December, 74 were identified in Zhejiang. In October, the province reported just one local case.
The outbreak in Zhejiang – home to the e-commerce giant Alibaba - has led more than a dozen publicly listed companies to halt production on Monday. Their shares fell sharply as a result.
The companies said that they would comply with the anti-virus control measures imposed by the local government, which will decide when production can be resumed.

England's Manchester United game has been called off

Paul MacInnes - The Guardian
Some distressing news for football fans has just come in, as Covid continues to wreck havoc on sporting matches and events.
England’s Manchester United game has been called off as the Premier League is hit by a record 42 Covid cases.
The Tuesday game at Brentford is now off with the possibility of more postponements to come.
Forty-two Premier League players and officials tested positive for the virus in the seven days that ended on Sunday, a record for a single week since testing began and more than three times the 12 of the previous week.
Manchester United are among the teams affected, with the club announcing on Monday evening that their away game at Brentford had been called off. “Our Premier League fixture at Brentford on Tuesday 14 December has been postponed and will be rescheduled in due course,” a club statement said.

Following PCR confirmation of positive LFT Covid-19 tests among the first-team staff and players, the outbreak requires ongoing surveillance. A decision was taken to close first-team operations at Carrington for 24 hours to help minimise risk of further infection, and individuals who tested positive are isolating in line with Premier League protocols.”
“Given cancellation of training and disruption to the squad, and with the health of players and staff the priority, the club requested the match to be rearranged ... The Premier League board took the decision to postpone based on guidance from medical advisors.”

England’s Manchester United game has been called off as the Premier League is hit by a record 42 Covid cases. Photograph: Luke Broughton/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock

What's happening today?

We're gearing up for a busy afternoon, with two main developments to watch out for in terms of Covid measures in the UK:

• The Commons debate on England's Plan B measures, including mandatory Covid passes in large venues, begins at about 12:30 GMT. There's likely to be several hours of debate, with a vote in the evening
  
• Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to make a statement just after 14:00 about whether the government there will be introducing new measures, including possible guidance on limiting household mixing in the run-up to Christmas
  

If you're just joining us, here's a quick recap of the headlines so far to bring you up to speed:

• Boris Johnson could be facing his biggest rebellion yet over Plan B measures to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, including the introduction of Covid passes. But the measures are likely to pass with Labour support
  
• Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said the government was "ramping up" capacity for the booster jab programme as long queues formed outside walk-in centres and people struggled to book appointments online
  
• We're bringing you updates from the science and technology committee, where MPs have been questioning experts on Covid. The chair of Britain's vaccine advisory group, the JCVI, has told them a decision could be made before Christmas on whether young children should be jabbed
  
• Schools in high infection areas are battling to stay open, a head teacher's leader says. ASCL general secretary Geoff Barton says some schools have a quarter of staff off work for several weeks
  
• But South African scientists say there is a "marked difference" in the severity of the Omicron wave, with fewer patients needing oxygen or intensive care. They also said evidence was emerging of fewer deaths due to Omicron, but more data was needed to be sure
  
• Meanwhile, Norway has imposed a ban on alcohol being served in bars, restaurants and nightclubs for the next four weeks as part of its measures to tackle rapidly rising cases of Omicron
  

NSW, Australia, to lift restrictions for unvaccinated

As Covid cases in Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales continue to rise, the state government has committed to its plan to lift restrictions for unvaccinated residents from Wednesday.
On Tuesday, NSW recorded 804 new cases, a significant jump on previous days. However, the government has insisted it had considered all the options and was committed to easing restrictions on Wednesday in order to return the state “back to a full life of normality”, AAP reports.
From Wednesday, unvaccinated people will be allowed back in pubs, cafes, gyms and shops and mask mandates will be eased.
The NSW health minister Brad Hazzard made the comments as health authorities are battling to contain an outbreak of the Omicron variant, with a total of 85 cases now confirmed in the state.
“We’re not about to start backflipping on issues we promised,” Hazzard said.
Hazzard also warned:

Once the unvaccinated are mixing with the vaccinated, the numbers will increase even further.
That’s worrying because that puts pressure on our doctors and nurses and our frontline health system.”

'A strange time’: letters document Covid lockdown for New Zealand’s elderly
Eva Corlett - The Guardian
A trove of nearly 800 letters recording the lockdown experiences of older New Zealanders has been collected in a University of Auckland research project called Have Our Say.
Researchers appealed for written accounts of lockdown to understand how older people coped with enforced isolation, and to amplify elders’ voices. The letter writers were all over 70.
Many described the importance of daily routines, their experiences during historical crises and how they stayed involved in their community. The letters will be held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Read more.

Germany is reporting an additional 30,823 new daily Covid cases and 473 deaths,
according to recently published figures from the Robert Koch Institute.
The numbers are a rise on yesterday’s figures but a significant drop from previous days, with 39,585 cases reported on 10 December 45,460 cases on 9 December.
Covid infections have been steadily decreasing in the European nation since new lockdowns were introduced.

US air force discharges 27 service members for refusing Covid vaccine

The US air force has discharged 27 people for refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine, making them what officials believe are the first service members to be removed for disobeying the mandate.
The air force gave its forces until 2 November to get the vaccine and thousands have either refused or sought an exemption. The air force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said Monday that these were the first airmen to be administratively discharged for reasons involving the vaccine.
She said all of them were in their first term of enlistment, so they were younger, lower-ranking personnel. And while the air force does not disclose what type of discharge a service member gets, legislation working its way through Congress limits the military to giving troops in vaccine refusal cases an honourable discharge or general discharge under honourable conditions.
The Pentagon earlier this year required the vaccine for all members of the military, including active duty, national guard and the reserves. Each of the services set its own deadlines and procedures for the mandate. The air force set the earliest deadline.
Read the full story here.

Rapid tests to 'get society back to normal' - scientist

As we've mentioned, new rules allowing contacts of any Covid cases to take lateral flow tests for seven days rather than self-isolating is one of the new measures being debated by MPs today. And it's a "really important mechanism for getting society back to normal", an expert has said.
Prof Calum Semple, a specialist in outbreak medicine, tells the BBC News Channel he is "really pleased" research in Liverpool on a similar "test to release" system is being adopted.
The University of Liverpool scientist adds the early results from other countries about the efficacy of lateral flow testing in the face of the more-transmissible Omicron variant "appear to be good news".
Prof Semple says "none of these tests are perfect", including the use of PCR tests, but emphasises that the use of rapid tests remain a really useful tool for people to know if they have Covid.
He adds the "clear link" is between the "human behaviour and the instant message that says 'you've got to isolate' because it's very likely you're infectious.

"The beauty of the lateral flow test is it links your symptoms or your concern with the action. So you take the swab straight away and if you are likely to be infectious you will have a positive swab test on lateral flow, much more likely than if you wait two days for a PCR. from Prof Callum Semple Professor of Child Health and Outbreak Medicine, University of Liverpool
The beauty of the lateral flow test is it links your symptoms or your concern with the action. So you take the swab straight away and if you are likely to be infectious you will have a positive swab test on lateral flow, much more likely than if you wait two days for a PCR.
Prof Callum Semple
Professor of Child Health and Outbreak Medicine, University of Liverpool

PCR tests available again after high demand

The government website has been updated and is now showing that slots are available for walk-in and drive-through PCR test sites across all regions in England. The website had briefly said there were "none available" for all regions earlier on Tuesday morning.
UK Health Security Agency sources have told the BBC that extremely high demand for PCR testing was the cause.
More test slots are being released this afternoon and home tests are still available to order, they add.
And tests can now be booked again at all sites, apart from Bristol, Mendip and the Isle of Wight which currently say there are "none available" - while Stockton-on-Tees says there are "very few available".
Downing Street has also insisted there is significant testing capacity despite suggestions of difficulties finding PCR tests. The PM's official spokesman says: "In terms of PCR availability, I don't have the latest but I would envisage further booking possibilities will come online later and, of course, there are in-person opportunities as well."

Whitty expects 'significant increase' in Omicron hospitalisations

England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty has told ministers a "significant increase in hospitalisations" from Omicron is expected, No 10 has said.
The prime minister's official spokesman said the expert told cabinet the doubling time for the number of cases of the variant remains between two and three days.
Prof Whitty argued it was "too early to say whether cases were reducing or plateauing in South Africa" as there was "no reliable evidence" of a peak in case rates.
"He added that it also remained too early to say how severe the Omicron variant was but that we can expect a significant increase in hospitalisations as cases increase," the spokesman explains.

 

All countries set to be dropped from travel red list

Katy Austin - Transport correspondent
Ministers are set to sign off the removal of all 11 countries from the UK's travel red list later today.
Travellers arriving from red list countries are required to enter hotel quarantine - at their own expense - and isolate for 10 days.
When the red list was reintroduced in late November, the government said it was taking precautionary action following the emergence of the Omicron variant.
Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe are currently on the list.
However, in the past week the prime minister, health secretary and transport secretary have all cited the further spread of the new variant within the UK as a reason for reviewing some of the travel rules currently in place.
Since the red list announcement, the government has mandated Covid tests within 48 hours of people setting off for the UK, plus PCR tests within two days of their arrival.

Difficult weeks ahead as Omicron spreads - UKHSA

The growth rate of the Omicron variant in the UK appears to be "shortening rather than lengthening", a senior government scientist has told MPs.
Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser for the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), tells the science and technology committee: "We have been studying this virus for three weeks today, and in that time period we have shown that in the UK this is growing very fast, with a growth rate initially two to three days."
She adds that due to the "large volume of individuals who are being infected every day", experts believe the country is "going to have a very difficult four weeks ahead".
She also says: "What we are yet to have is a signal of severity... we will have to wait until we have cases in hospital to make that assessment."

Wales cannot rule out Covid restrictions over Christmas - minister

Hywel Griffith - BBC News' Wales Correspondent
The Welsh government says it cannot rule out imposing Covid restrictions over Christmas, as it continues to monitor the spread of the Omicron variant.
Health Minister Eluned Morgan says: “The last thing we want to do is to cancel Christmas... but we are not currently taking anything off the table.”
A review of the current measures is expected on Friday, but ministers have already said more restrictions are likely in coming weeks.
NHS staff in Wales are being redeployed to deliver booster vaccines, with leave being cancelled and teams working “day and night through Christmas” to vaccinate.
Emergency and essential healthcare will continue but health boards will need to decide what routine activity to pause.
The Welsh government says every adult will be sent an offer for a third dose appointment in the next three weeks, but some of the slots may not be until the New Year.
Appointments will be given “in order of risk”, with most younger adults not yet eligible for a third dose. Morgan claims the Welsh government’s planning will mean avoiding some of the “chaotic scenes” seen in England.
There is no online booking system in Wales, with people encouraged to wait until they are contacted to come forward for vaccination.

Omicron infections now doubling every two days, says Javid

The health secretary has outlined the effect Omicron is having on the UK.
Sajid Javid says Omicron infections are now doubling every two days, adding the variant is "more transmissible than the Delta variant" and the spread in the UK is mirroring the "rapid increase we have seen in South Africa".
He reiterates the estimates from the UK Health Security Agency that there are now more than 200,000 infections a day.
He says: "Scientists have never seen a Covid variant spreading so rapidly - so we have to take action now to slow Omicron's advance."
Javid tells MPs that even if it has half the severity of Delta - something we do not yet know - "it would only buy you two days" before hospitalisations reach the same level.
"There really is no time to lose," he adds.

Rapid tests unavailable online for second day running

For the second day in a row, lateral flow tests are unavailable to order from the UK government's website.
A message on the site says there are none available for home delivery, although the free tests can still be collected from pharmacies.
However, it is understood that a number were available in the early hours of the morning.
This comes as new guidance for the testing of coronavirus close contacts in England begins today.
Fully-vaccinated people are now being asked to take a lateral flow test daily for seven days if they are a contact of a Covid case.
Downing Street says the government is working with Royal Mail and Amazon to ensure more lateral flow tests can be delivered.

Scots urged to limit socialising to three households

People in Scotland have been asked to limit socialising to three households at a time in the run-up to Christmas, amid concerns over the Omicron variant.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says it is expected Omicron will become the dominant strain of Covid in Scotland within days.
She says the three-household limit will not apply to people's main Christmas celebration.

Javid confirms all 11 countries to be removed from travel red list

The health secretary confirms to MPs that the 11 African countries placed on the travel red list will be removed from 04:00 GMT tomorrow.
But he says the temporary testing requirements for foreign travellers will remain in place.
More details here.

'Quarantine hotel fiasco has cost us £5,500'

As we've just heard, a number of countries have now been removed from the travel red list, including South Africa.
This has come too late for some people who have been forced to quarantine, including Alison Stitt.
She was in South Africa visiting her father for his 90th birthday when the country went on the UK's red list.
She says it took her days to re-arrange a flight home on a date that a quarantine hotel room was available. They had to stay longer in their Airbnb and re-book their car hire while they waited - on top of extending their car parking and kennels bookings in the UK.
Now, she and her husband David are at a hotel near Gatwick.
Alison says the total cost of their extended stay in South Africa and their quarantine, has been at least £5,500.
Speaking to the BBC before all countries were taken off the red list, she said the idea of the travel rules being changed "has fuelled our argument that this whole fiasco was wrong".
Read more here.

"It was one expense after another. It's all going on credit cards. It was meant to be a budget trip"

UK records another 59,610 coronavirus cases

The UK government has updated its daily Covid numbers:

• Another 59,610 new infections have been recorded, which is an increase of 12.1% from the past seven days
  
• A further 150 people have died within 28 days of a positive test, which is a 6.5% decrease compared to the past seven days
  

France may tighten travel restrictions from UK

The French government is keeping a close eye on the Omicron situation in Britain, and may tighten entry restrictions to those travelling from the UK if the situation worsens, says a French government spokesman.
"We are always looking at means to tighten the framework, we are currently working on that and we should, I think, come to a conclusion in the coming days," Gabriel Attal told France Info radio on Tuesday.
France is currently in the midst of a fifth coronavirus wave, mostly driven by the Delta variant.
There are 133 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in France, Mr Attal said.

Indonesia starts vaccinating children

Indonesia has become one of the few countries in Asia to start vaccinating children against Covid-19.
Those aged six to 11 will now receive China's Sinovac vaccine.
Covid vaccinations for children have been a sensitive and sometimes controversial subject around the world.
In Europe, the medicines regulator approved the use of Pfizer-BioNTech's lower-dose vaccine on children aged five to 11 last month, however different countries are approaching it in different ways.
For example, one region in Italy is using clowns and jugglers at clinics and France and Germany are targeting only the most vulnerable children. Denmark, on the other hand, has been giving the shots even before the specially-designed vials and syringes have arrived, according to Reuters news agency.
In the UK, the government has been advised to offer 12 to 15-year-olds a second jab.
Read more:

• Misleading vaccine claims target children and parents
  
• What difference will jabbing young teens make?
  

Doctors cancel Christmas party over 'coming wave' of Omicron

A doctor from Cambridge has spoken of the sadness his lab team felt at taking a decision to cancel their Christmas party, despite it being the "right thing to do".
Prof Stefan Marciniak, a respiratory specialist, tells the BBC it was a "unanimous decision" from the whole team to protect the health of their family, friends and the wider community from the spread of the Omicron variant.
He says: “Some of us are clinicians and we don't want to contribute to the coming wave that will hit us.
"We also have responsibilities. If I can't do my ward rounds on Christmas Eve then someone else has to do that.

"Omicron is transmitting extremely quickly and coming into a population with relatively little protection from two doses of vaccine, although boosters appear to have a very good effect in early studies. from Prof Stefan Marciniak Doctor and Professor of Respiratory Science, University of Cambridge
Omicron is transmitting extremely quickly and coming into a population with relatively little protection from two doses of vaccine, although boosters appear to have a very good effect in early studies.
Prof Stefan Marciniak
Doctor and Professor of Respiratory Science, University of Cambridge

China's export hub faces Covid outbreak

China’s economically important Zhejiang province is battling a Covid outbreak that has left half a million people quarantined and some districts under business shutdown.
Zhejiang, a major industrial and export hub on the country’s east coast and one of China’s leading provinces in terms of GDP and exports, reported 44 of the country’s 51 domestically transmitted coronavirus cases on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reports.
More than 540,000 people have been put in quarantine in Zhejiang as officials employ mass testing and targeted lockdowns over concerns fresh outbreaks could threaten the Winter Olympics set to be hosted by Beijing in February.
In recent days, districts in Ningbo - the province’s main port - and the nearby city of Shaoxing said they also were suspending some business operations.

Lines of trucks are seen at a container terminal of Ningbo Zhoushan port in Zhejiang province, China. Photograph: China Stringer Network/Reuters

Ningbo’s Zhenhai district, a large petrochemical base, said all enterprises not related to virus control or deemed crucial to the public would be shut down and that petrochemical producers would have to reduce output.
A district in Shaoxing had ordered business to halt last Thursday.
Several publicly listed companies in Hangzhou, the province’s capital and largest city, have also released statements saying they had suspended production.
Zhaopeng Xing, senior China strategist at ANZ Research, told AFP:

The shutdown of Zhejiang factories will impact on the supply chains of various sectors, especially fibre and textiles.
“The impact will be similar to what happened in September and October, when power rationing was implemented.”

Political journalists have been identifying some of the quirks written into the proposed legislation on Covid passes in England today.
Here’s one example – a pub that is open all day but which stays open beyond 1am with a dance floor and serving alcohol looks like it either has to check people all day (even though it wouldn’t need to for daily trade) or do spot-checks at 1am.


South Korea has marked its deadliest day since the start of the pandemic, amid warnings from medical experts that hospitals are struggling to cope with a surge in the number of seriously ill patients.
Justin McCurry - The Guardian
The country, which had done a comparatively good job at containing the virus – with fewer than 5,000 deaths in total – on Tuesday reported 94 deaths from Covid-19 during the previous 24 hours, while critical cases reached a record high of 906.
The daily caseload fell to below 6,000, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, having topped 7,000 for three days in a row last week. However, the 5,567 new infections were the highest yet for a Tuesday. The daily tally is usually lower at the start of the week because fewer tests are conducted at the weekend.
Associated Press quoted Park Hyang, a senior health ministry official, saying that medical resources were quickly running out in Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas, where about 86% of intensive care units designated for Covid-19 patients are already occupied.
More than 1,480 patients were still waiting to be admitted to hospitals or treatment shelters, and at least 17 people died last week at home or at facilities while waiting for beds.
The strain on medical resources forced the government to introduce modest restrictions, such as caps on social gatherings, last week, while officials are racing to administer booster shots to older South Koreans who have not been vaccinated or who have waning immunity after being inoculated at the start of this year. The interval between the second and third shots was reduced from four or five months to three months starting this week.
So far, 81.3% of the country’s 52 million people have been double jabbed, but only 13.9% have received a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, the agency said.

Medical staff have been sent to schools to increase the vaccination rate among children, while access to a range of venues, including restaurants and cafes, is dependent on proof of double vaccination or a negative test result, the Yonhap news agency said.
Social distancing rules that limit private gatherings to six people in the greater Seoul area, the centre of the recent surge, will stay in place until early next month.
The government has been criticised for easing social distancing rules and other restrictions too early in an attempt to encourage economic activity. But the president, Moon Jae-in, has resisted a return to strict measures, declaring that the country would not “retreat to the past”.
Health experts, however, have called for a more robust response, including financial support for small businesses to ensure that social distancing rules are observed.
“What we absolutely need now is an urgent standstill to allow our medical system to restore its ability to respond (to the virus),” a coalition of doctors’ groups said in a statement this week. “We express deep concern that there will be a high possibility of serious fatalities if (the government) fails to employ stronger measures to reverse the crisis before it’s too late.”

A person who was on Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett’s flight back from the United Arab Emirates has tested positive for Covid-19, the prime minister’s office said on Tuesday.
Associated Press reports Bennett returned to Israel on Monday from the two-day trip to the Gulf state, the first by an Israeli leader to the country.
He was in a three-day quarantine on Tuesday as per health ministry regulations, which require all returning travellers to Israel, even those vaccinated, to self-isolate. He was expected to take a coronavirus test on Wednesday, also in line with health regulations, and then end his quarantine if he tests negative, the prime minister’s office said.
Bennett’s office did not specify who the person was who tested positive.
Bennett was meant to be accompanied by Israeli and foreign journalists and a sizeable entourage on the visit. But a day before his departure, journalists were notified that because of concerns over Omicron, they would not be joining and that Bennett’s entourage would be downsized.

Mainland China has detected its second imported case of the Omicron variant, this time in its southern Guangdong province, following reports of the first case in the northern city of Tianjin on Monday.
Vincent Ni and Rhoda Kwan - The Guardian
The patient in Guangdong was a returnee from overseas, China’s health authorities said on Tuesday. Curiously, he entered the country on 27 November and has had multiple negative tests prior to the diagnosis.
The arrival of the Omicron variant in China comes as the authorities are racing to contain an emerging outbreak of the Delta variant in the country’s eastern Zhejiang province.
China’s National Health Commission reported 51 new community infections on Monday, 44 of which were found in Zhejiang.
More than 50,000 out of its 64.5 million residents have been placed in mandatory centralised quarantine facilities in a bid to curb the spread of the strain. About 500,000 residents are also being monitored for the virus.
Some local governments have urged workers not to travel home during the upcoming lunar new year holidays in response to the rising infections.
Meanwhile, the number of Omicron cases in Hong Kong – which runs a separate health system – has risen to eight on Tuesday. The authorities said the patient is 50-year-old who entered the territory from Tanzania, South Africa and Kenya via Qatar last Friday.
The Hong Kong authorities also noted that all eight Omicron cases identified in the city were identified at the airport or quarantine premises, therefore there has been no community spread.
With additional reporting by Rhoda Kwan


Indonesia started vaccinating elementary school children aged 6-11 against Covid on Tuesday, becoming one of the few countries in Asia to start mass inoculations for young children.
Vaccinations against the virus for this age group has been a sensitive issue in some countries. Europe has just started vaccinations for younger children, but countries are pursuing different strategies because lack of data has made winning over parents more difficult.
Children and young people are seen as unwitting transmitters of the virus to high-risk people and experts say inoculating them is a critical step towards taming the pandemic.
Indonesia’s campaign kicked off with 100 children using China’s Sinovac vaccine. They are among 26.5 million targeted for immunisation in Indonesia.
Muhammad Avisena, 11, said the pain of the injection was worth it compared with potential suffering from becoming sick. “It will hurt more if exposed to Covid-19 because the lungs would be damaged and infected,” he told Reuters after his injection.
His mother, Siti Nuriyah Safitri, said the vaccination would help children get back to school faster after nearly two years of disruption. “I feel bad for the children if the learning system stays this way,” she said.
She added that at her son’s school only 50% of the children attend each day, with those not coming to school doing lessons online.
Covid has infected 4.2 million people and killed more than 143,000 in Indonesia, where about 38% of the 270 million population have been vaccinated.
In Asia, China has already started vaccinating children aged 3 and above, while Cambodia gave its first vaccines for young children in September. Singapore will soon start vaccinating children aged 5-11.

Africa is experiencing its fastest surge in Covid cases this year, with the number up 83% in the past week, although deaths remain low, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
The rise in cases is driven by the Delta and Omicron variants, the WHO said in a statement. The number of new Covid cases on the continent is currently doubling every five days, the shortest time frame reported this year.
Africa’s low inoculation rates have encouraged viral mutations like the new Omicron variant to spread, according to health experts. The continent struggled to obtain vaccine doses until recently, and is facing challenges to distribute them including lack of funds, staff and equipment.
As of Monday, only 20 African countries had vaccinated at least 10% of their population, according to the WHO. Some countries, like Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad, have vaccinated less than 1%, data collected by Reuters shows.
“We are cautiously optimistic that deaths and severe illness will remain low in the current wave, but slow vaccine roll-out in Africa means both will be much higher than they should be,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s regional director for Africa.
Africa recorded more than 196,000 new cases for the week ending on 12 December, up from around 107,000 the previous week, the WHO said. Deaths dropped by 19% in the same period, it said, and have averaged about 1,000 per week in the fourth pandemic wave.
At the current pace, it will take until May 2022 before the continent reaches 40% vaccination coverage and August 2024 before it reaches 70%, the WHO said.

UK reports highest Covid cases since early January

The UK has recorded another 59,610 Covid cases, the highest figure since early January, as it faces what prime minister Boris Johnson has called a “tidal wave” on infections from the Omicron variant.
A further 150 people died within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest data from the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
That is compared to 54,661 infections and 38 fatalities in the 24 hours prior.

Numerous MPs test positive for Covid before votes on plan B measures
In the UK, at least three opposition MPs have tested positive for Covid before a crunch vote on coronavirus restrictions later today.
You can find the full story here.

Denmark and Norway rush in stricter Covid measures as cases soar
Denmark and Norway have announced stricter Covid measures to battle soaring infection numbers, as authorities said the new Omicron variant was spreading fast and would probably become dominant in several EU countries within weeks or even days.
Amid a varied continental picture that includes sharply declining case numbers in many countries, the two Scandinavian governments said they expected daily infections would soon exceed all previous records as the highly transmissible variant combined with and fuelled a wave still largely driven by the previous Delta mutation.
Denmark, which like Britain carries out extensive rapid genetic sequencing to detect variants, is second only to the UK in the number of confirmed cases of the mutation, with 3,473 cases identified in a population of 5.8 million of which 80.6% are double jabbed.
Read more.

Thousands cancel Christmas bookings over Omicron

The hospitality industry is feeling the impact of the new Covid curbs, with pubs and restaurants reporting a wave of Christmas cancellations.
The Bar 44 chain tells the BBC 3,200 people have scrapped bookings in December alone across its four outlets in Bristol and Cardiff.
Natalie Isaac, the business' operations director, says only a "handful" of people would have cancelled before the pandemic.
She adds 1,000 of those bookings were lost because of the knock-on effects of cancelled concerts by Tom Jones and the Stereophonics.
Others say that although they face no new rules, public caution is causing lower footfall and a loss of trade.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has called for the government to provide financial support for businesses affected, but the Treasury has not unveiled any new measures.
Read more here.

Having to stay open but not getting the business is our big worry. This should be our bumper two weeks before Christmas, but the diary is worryingly empty. We're significantly impacted and without furlough, we won't be able to protect our staff. from Natalie Isaac Operations Director, Bar 44
Having to stay open but not getting the business is our big worry. This should be our bumper two weeks before Christmas, but the diary is worryingly empty. We're significantly impacted and without furlough, we won't be able to protect our staff.
Natalie IsaacOperations Director, Bar 44

What's been happening today?

It's been a very busy day with plenty of developments. Here's a round up of the key headlines:

• All 11 countries will be taken off England's travel red list from Wednesday, but testing measures remain in place for all UK arrivals
  
• People in Scotland have been asked to limit socialising to three households at a time, however this official guidance will not apply on Christmas day
  
• The Welsh government has said it cannot rule out tougher restrictions over Christmas
  
• MPs are debating the government's Plan B measures in the House of Commons, with a sizable rebellion from Tory MPs anticipated over some restrictions
  
• More than half a million people booked booster jabs on Monday and long queues were seen again at some vaccination centres on Tuesday
  
• Schools in some high infection areas of England are struggling to stay fully open due to rising Covid rates
  
• High demand for Covid testing has been blamed for shortages of PCR appointments in England, although they are available in most regions
  

MPs approve mandatory face masks measure

Regulations making wearing face masks compulsory in most indoor settings, except for pubs and restaurants, have been approved by MPs.
The government wins by 441 votes to 41.

Commons backs Covid passes by 369 votes to 126

The House of Commons backs the government's plan to introduce Covid passes - or passports - for entry to large venues in England, such as nightclubs, by 369 votes to 126.
The Labour leadership supported the move, but the Liberal Democrats and many on Boris Johnson's own Conservative benches opposed it.

Labour: 101 Tory MPs rebelled over Covid passes

Labour's whips office is suggesting that 101 Conservative MPs rebelled against the government on Covid passes for large venues in England.
We'll have the full figures as soon as possible.
The previous biggest rebellion against Boris Johnson's government involved 59 Tory MPs.

Commons backs NHS vaccinations by 385 votes to 100

The result of the final vote is in, with the government's plans to make Covid vaccinations compulsory for front-line NHS workers in England passing by 385 votes to 100.
So all the measures got through, one without a vote and the others by varying margins.

Tory rebellion: 98 MPs defied Johnson

Some figures are in.
Ninety-eight Conservative MPs rebelled against the government over Covid passes in England. That's by far the biggest such act of defiance by his own troops since Boris Johnson became PM.
Also, eight Labour MPs rebelled against their own front bench to oppose the plan - Sir Keir Starmer had ordered them to support it.

What happened today?

• A total of 98 Conservative MPs voted against plans for mandatory Covid passes for some large venues in England - but the measure was passed by a majority of 243 thanks to Labour support
  
• And 63 Tories voted against mandatory vaccination for England's front-line NHS staff
  
• MPs also backed compulsory face masks in most indoor public places in England - although 38 Tories rebelled
  
• Plans to allow fully vaccinated people to take daily tests rather than self-isolate if they come into contact with a Covid case were approved without opposition - this also applies in England only
  
• The health secretary had argued the measures were necessary to slow the spread of Omicron and buy time for boosters to be rolled out
  
• The prime minister told a meeting of backbench Tory MPs that the government had "no choice" and it was still unclear whether Omicron was milder than previous variants
  
• But Tory rebels argued the measures impinged on people's freedoms and were disproportionate
  
• Labour backed the plans, saying it was putting public health above party politics
  
• The party's leader Sir Keir Starmer said the rebellions were "a very significant blow to the already damaged authority of the prime minister" but stopped short of explicitly calling for him to resign